Science & Faith
by the fiery sage
Summary: Nina giggled as we watched his departing figure. "You like him." I scoffed. Even his back was attractive. "All I know about him are his name, his apparent fondness of fireworks, and...his promising future in saving girls from getting hit by SUVs!"
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I couldn't resist! I was struck by inspirational lightning. I don't know...Canada's been on my mind and I love Niagara Falls. And I thought I'd give a refreshing take on an unexpected couple. Don't knock it until you try it. :) And please let me know if I should let this remain as a one-shot or an actual multi-chapter. It's official, I love writing in 1st person! It gives me no limits! :D**

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><p><strong>Science &amp; Faith<strong>

**Chapter 1**

One moment your life's taking course and it seems like everything is going your way. That's how my life was once junior year finished. I mean, there were college applications to worry about. And it's been set in stone since the day I was born that I would attend NYU and go to law school. I didn't have many questions when it came to my life. I knew everything I had to know. It felt like I held all the answers that I needed and life would just throw questions my way.

I thought I could handle anything because I had everything figured out in my life. Sure, there would be slight bumps along the way.

That is, until I met Derrick Harrington. And life seemed to have different plans for me.

I spent 2 weeks up north in Toronto when my cousins from Spain came to visit. We decided to spend the weekend at a hotel when Celia drove us to Niagara Falls. Of course, the natural banter between four girls was inevitable but I was about on the verge of going insane if I wasn't going to see something interesting in the next half hour and before I knew it, we had arrived in town. I felt unstoppable with that ridiculous giddy feeling that couldn't escape my system.

We were in Niagara Falls. And it wasn't a dream. But before I could go on the Maid Of the Mist tour to get soaked like I had originally planned, my three beloved cousins just had to drag me out shopping.

My mom was a former model so she enjoyed shopping every chance she could get but the love for a multi-million dollar wardrobe had apparently skipped a generation. My cousins were a different case entirely. If they could their hands on one credit card, they'd do anything to spend it all the way until its limit was reached.

Nina and I were out shopping one day to prepare for her wedding next spring. I was so shocked that her boyfriend Jacques Fernandez proposed to her on her graduation night.

"_Prima_, I can't believe I'm getting married!" Nina laughed, spinning around as passersby raised their eyebrows at her. Nina was a year older than me. I was so shocked that she was getting married. She didn't even expect it to happen. When I asked her what could have possibly been going through her mind when she accepted Jacques's proposal, she just told me that she had the gut feeling that said it was meant to be.

I guess I wouldn't really understand. Until I fell in love. And we all knew how that could possibly end. I wasn't planning on starting a relationship anytime soon. As my dad said, I was far too young and I haven't seen enough of the world to be ready for a relationship.

Nina's case was one of those rare situations where things could actually work. Here's hoping.

"Neither can I and the rest of the world..." I muttered with an encouraging smile on my face.

She sighed. "Niagara Falls is such a beautiful place!" She always declared a new place she'd never seen before to be beautiful but she was far more giddy than I was. But she was a blushing bride-to-be. I couldn't hold that against her.

And I couldn't disagree. Even though we were only miles away from the border and a flight back home wouldn't have taken so long, I was fascinated by the beauty of the falls. I could walk endlessly on the streets of this place. The falls' endless cascade had me in a trance that I started crossing a street without looking.

I felt someone grab my arm before I even knew it. I felt someone had pulled me back with his arms around me.

"Alicia!" Nina shouted too late. I could barely hear her when a car's honking snapped me out of my daze.

I gasped, a deer caught in headlights.

I had to blink several times to make sure that I was still alive.

"Are you out of your mind?" A male voice screamed at me.

I felt someone gripping my arms. I was on the concrete of the sidewalk.

"Alicia!" Nina was about to burst into tears. She ran up to me, her boots click-clacking against the pavement.

"Huh?" My vision was perfect so I opened my eyes to see who my savior was. He was...

Glorious.

"Are you okay?" Nina arrived. "You just wandered off when I was looking at a wedding dress on display. You could have died!"

I found my voice, astounded at this entire scenario. "I'm sorry. I just got distracted."

The boy had shaggy dirty blond hair that almost touched his brown eyes. His eyebrows were frowning in concern. He helped me up. People stopped to see if I was okay. I was beyond humiliated.

"That was close." He whispered.

Wow, was he tall. He was more than 6 feet tall. I felt like a midget in comparison since I was a little over 5'3. And he was tan and when his arms were still around me, I could feel his biceps and they were pretty damn hard.

"I'm so sorry. Thank you for going out of your way to stop me from crossing. Is there anything I can do to repay you? I can't go back home and not have given you something in my conscience." I was babbling like my cousins Celia and Isobel did when they met Cam's older brother Harris...and boy, was Harris a fox.

His worried expression faded and a grin appeared. It was surprising that he had a devil-may-care smile. "Your mind must have been somewhere else. An SUV almost got you. The crosswalk wasn't on green yet."

I blushed. "Whoops."

Nina cocked an eyebrow at me with a silly grin on her perfectly tan face.

"It was nothing. No worries about repaying me. If you smile again, then all is well with the world." He ran his hands through his hair and looked toward a building across the street, like he was looking for someone.

I blushed even brighter I didn't know what to say. I was tongue-tied. No guy has ever had me like that. Except for Chris Abeley when we were both life guarding at the indoor swimming pool a few summers back.

"What are you waiting for?" Nina whispered and elbowed me.

I laughed nervously as I smiled. Unexpectedly, it relaxed me a bit.

"There you go." He chuckled. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I've gotta get going." He crossed the street because it signaled that we could cross.

I nodded and waved shyly. Nina shook her head in disbelief.

"Go after him!" She hissed in her strong Spanish accent.

"What? Are you crazy?" I hissed back.

She pushed us to keep walking and we, I being reluctant as ever, followed him. Miraculously, we walked across the street without getting killed.

She giggled loud enough for the guy to turn around.

He smirked. "Are you two following me?"

"We never got your name." Nina spoke confidently. Even if she was engaged, she was still the same natural flirt from 5 years back.

He approached us, his natural cocky smile in place. "I'm Derrick." He turned to me. "And you are?"

Nina elbowed me again. I rolled my eyes at her and said, "Alicia."

"And I'm her equally attractive cousin, Nina!" Nina was seriously provoking me to strangle her once Derrick left.

"Cool." Derrick laughed. "If you guys are going to see the fireworks tonight, maybe I'll see you there."

"Yeah, maybe." I nodded. It was so hard to keep my cool.

Derrick's phone rang and he answered. "Yeah. I'll be there in 10. Calm down! Goodbye!" He looked at us. "See you guys," he mouthed and waved.

Nina giggled as we watched his departing figure. "You like him."

I scoffed. Even his back was attractive. "All I know about him are his name, his apparent fondness of fireworks, and...his promising future in saving girls from getting hit by SUVs!"

"Alicia..." Nina began to protest.

I sighed. Here we go...

"I saw the way you were looking at him. This could be fate! My mom met my dad when she saved him from almost choking on a churro. You should go for it!"

I remained silent as we walked alongside the falls. Her daily monologue directed at my life's improvement was blocked by the crashing of the falls. It was soothing and I could finally breathe again.

The blush on my cheeks began to fade.

I've tried dating some of the guys at my school, Siren-Tomahawk High. I ended up being better friends with every date I've ever had and thankfully, there weren't that many to break it to. My friends labeled me as the exotic beauty. It was pretty embarrassing because people judged me to be the snooty type after that. But I swam and did archery. I got grades as decent as I could get them to be. I got involved in various clubs and was nominated for a leadership award that would be announced when senior year began. I wasn't just going to follow up on that ditzy beauty title. I had ambitions, aspiring to be a lawyer, just like my dad.

Hours had passed and after Nina and I met up with Celia and Isobel at TGI Fridays for lunch, Nina struck up a conversation.

And believe me, the topic was dreadful for me to have to listen to.

"So...There are fireworks tonight." Nina smirked at me.

I groaned as my hands covered my eyes.

"_Que_Alicia? You don't like fireworks anymore?" Celia teased.

"_Basta_ Celia..." Isobel chastised her sister. "What's wrong, _prima_?"

"Nothing, you guys..." I rolled my eyes. "Miss Bridezilla here is trying to set me up with a guy that I barely know!"

"_Otra vez_, Nina?" (Again, Nina?) My cousins groaned.

She laughed. That was her reaction to any given situation where she was accounted as guilty for causing some sort of mischief. "Well, excuse me for trying to make my favorite cousin happy!"

"There's a custom here in North America that you haven't adjusted yourself to...It's called butting out of my business." I stubbornly spun the straw around my Sprite.

Celia and Isobel laughed at Nina's childish pout.

She muttered and her naughty smile returned. "We are going tonight. And that's final."

"No..." I said under my breath. Who was I kidding? It was 3 against 1. I'm guessing they wanted me to be the next one in the family to walk down the aisle. No way was I letting that happen.

We got back to the hotel and Nina was forcing me to try on some of her clothes because she said she absolutely detested my wardrobe. She drawled in Spanish about how Derrick was the perfect man but I won't get into those excruciating details.

The three of them were faster to get ready than I was. I was looking forward to the fireworks so I was happy to go. I was a little hesitant because I thought I might see Derrick there. Part of me was hoping that I didn't see him since Nina would more than likely start discussing our wedding vows and signing us up for marriage counseling. Yet part of me really wanted to see him again. Find out the secrets behind the mischief in his eyes.

I played Barcelona's "Colors" on my iPod deck as I did the last touches on my makeup. At least I could manage with that. My cousins forced me to let them choose what I should wear.

The dress that Nina thought would look fantastic on me was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen come out of Celia's creations. Of course, Celia had Nina wear some of her designs but Nina suggested I try the dress on. It was a gold satin and lace dress. I could manage with my strapped silver heels. I put on the earrings my mom bought me for my birthday last August.

I got off the elevator to find my cousins with their jaws practically on the ground.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"Alicia..." Isobel blinked, looking stunning in Celia's custom-made one shoulder black party dress. "You look..."

Celia was in tears. She looked great in her own 3/4 sleeve black mini dress. "Hermosa! Y estas en mi vestido!" (Beautiful! And you're in my dress!)

Nina smiled as she spun around in Celia's one shoulder black beaded cocktail dress. What is it with her and spinning? "Tonight is going to be fantastic."

I realized that I stood out like a sore thumb as all the girls were in black and I was in gold. Despite it being a subtle shade of gold, people wouldn't be able to stop staring at the spectacle my cousins couldn't help formulate.

"Alicia! The fireworks are almost here!" Celia laughed as she drove us to arrive at the Skylon Tower. It was a spectacle to behold during the day and at night, it glowed. The windows glistened from above at the reflection of the lights of all the buildings and attractions the town had to offer. I could only wonder what it was like to look at the city from up there. I didn't realize that we would actually be going all the way to the top. My heart almost met my stomach.

"We're going up...there?" I gulped. I wasn't a big fan of heights. I usually slept on planes so I wouldn't risk looking out the window and hyperventilating.

Isobel hugged me. "Everything will be fine. The fireworks are going to look great from there. Imagine how great the view looks."

"We'll be with you every step of the way." Nina smiled.

It turns out that Nina lied. They ditched me the second we saw Derrick leaning by the observation deck with a beer in his hand. He looked like he'd been at a fancy party somewhere in town but his tuxedo was incomplete without the jacket.

"What? You're leaving me?" I hissed at the three of them.

They nodded and gave me the thumbs up to go up to him.

Isobel winked. "We're going to get something to eat. Celia's running a little low on cash because she hasn't gotten to an ATM since we've arrived in Canada."

Celia said, "We were hoping that he'd invite you to eat."

I had my back to Derrick when I said to the wicked trio, "Están ustedes locas? A el yo no lo conozco! El puede ser un violador por todo lo que nos sabemos! (Are you guys crazy? I don't know him! He could be a rapist for all we know!) When I got really ticked at something, I would just ramble on in Spanish. Thank God most of the Canadians around here didn't speak the language. I waved my arms frantically in the air to see if my point could come further across but I knew I just made myself look like an idiot.

I didn't notice Derrick approached me from behind until he tapped me on the shoulder.

"I recognized you the second I heard Nina's giggling but you were whispering pretty loud so..."

When I turned around so he could see me entirely, he froze.

"Sorry." Why did I say that? "My cousins are just getting on my last nerve. It's been crazy since we arrived in Toronto..."

He still didn't speak. He had the same look that my cousins did when I came off the elevator to meet them in the lobby.

"You okay?" I laughed to see if I could relax from how nervous he managed to make me.

He nodded and gazed at me. "Tu eres...hermosa." His tone was smooth. It was new, refreshing after the fiasco of me almost getting myself landed in a hospital today.

"You just called me..." I was stunned.

"Beautiful. I took Spanish when I was in high school. I just graduated." He smiled. He had obviously heard me cussing out my cousins.

"Thank you." I smiled in return.

He invited me to have dinner with him here. Thankfully, my cousins could keep an eye out. I just hoped they laid low.

I knew it was too much to ask for.

As we walked, I asked, "I didn't know you were going to be here."

He frowned. "What are you talking about? I said I would be around to see the fireworks."

"I didn't expect to see you in this tower." I didn't expect to find myself in this tower, almost at the tip-top. I almost choked on oxygen and grew red.

I knew it was almost but I was so close to panicking.

He laughed. "Me neither. I thought it would be easier to find you here than on the streets."

"Lucky guess." I blushed. Was it truly fate like Nina suggested? I didn't even know we were coming here tonight. Isobel said we would start the night up at the tower and then we'd walk the streets and watch the fireworks over the falls.

"Good thing I stayed put. I almost thought I wouldn't see you around."

"You wanted to see me?" I couldn't believe it took me longer than expected to ask. "I thought you were just saying that to humor Nina."

"Nope." He took my hand and kissed it gently. "I meant it when I said it."

"You're bluffing," I whispered stubbornly, red as Aunt Delia's lipstick on Christmas Eve.

"What can I say? I learned that being a gentleman pays off." When we reached the revolving dining room, he led me to a table so we could sit together and talk. The restaurant was world famous, apparently. Kristen suggested if I got the chance I'd come here if I overcame my fear of heights. I only nodded when she said so but here I was. It was almost the way I'd pictured it in my head. Tables with white cloths. The landscape of the breathtaking city and waterfalls right beside them.

It was everything I dreamt it would be and I was here with a guy. A very cute one.

"Well, that's definitely sincere." I said as he helped me sit down.

"I thought I'd give it a shot." He shrugged as he stared out the windows towards the sky. "They're starting."

I turned to see the explosions varying from many colors as the crackling was music to my ears. They looked like they were making shapes in the sky. Then, letters appeared, saying:

**ALICIA, WILL YOU MARRY ME?**

I gaped at the sky and slowly turned to look at Derrick in absolute shock. He smiled like Nina had when she claimed Derrick was flirting with me earlier.

"Oh, Josh!" A woman with her back to us, who had hair just like mine and who was in her mid-twenties, screamed from a few tables away from us. Josh, who looked like he could be my cousin, got down on one knee and showed her the engagement ring and asked her again. She nodded and jumped into his arms. They laughed as everyone clapped, congratulating them.

"Oh." I realized. "How silly of me. Of course there's another Alicia."

Derrick teased, "I don't propose on the first date."

Date?

"A date, huh?" I asked. "But you don't even know me."

"I'd like to," he admitted.

And with his brilliant brown eyes never moving away from mine, I couldn't find myself to resist.

**To be continued?**

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><p><strong>Review and let me know what you think of this. Should I continue? <strong>

**Title: Science & Faith by The Script**


	2. Chapter 2

**How I love writing this story. :) And just to let you know, the entire fic won't be taking place in Niagara Falls. We'll be back in Westchester before we know it. I hope there aren't too many mistakes. Sorry for not updating sooner! REVIEW! I need 3 to put up Chapter 3! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"Alicia…Alicia…ALICIAAAAAAA!" Nina threw a slice of toast at my face to snap me out of my daze.

"What?" I asked, droopily.

Celia sighed as she got pancakes from the buffet table. The 4 of us were currently staying at the Hilton Hotel. "The girl's in love."

That definitely snapped me out of my stupor. "Excuse me?"

Isobel giggled maniacally at her twin's observation. "You didn't want to leave him last night."

"But we had no choice because Aunt Nadia was just getting here!" Nina laughed along.

It just so happened that my mother was currently in town to run a fashion show. Celia would be participating as one of the youngest designers among the most renown in the entire world.

"Well, you must be excited." I smiled at Celia. Changing the subject turned out to work this time around.

She blushed with excitement. She was the only Callas sister who didn't dare to squeal, even over the smallest bit of good news. I got along with her better because even if she was a girly girl like her other sisters, she didn't hold it against me or tease me to no end about it.

Isobel sipped her orange juice. "I wonder what everyone's doing back home."

"We've only been here for a couple of days and you're already homesick?" Nina raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

Her sister smirked. "Me? The one who's covering up her anxiety over being so far away happens to be you, _hermanita_."

Nina mimicked her sister, resulting in the 2 standing up in front of the dining place and bickering in Spanish. I was able to interpret a few phrases because they talked pretty damn fast when they were angry.

Celia laughed. "Don't mind them. We're all pretty excited about coming here. It's quite different from home…" She focused a little too much on the yellow tulips that laid on the table.

Her twin Isobel twisted her luxurious locks around her fingers. She was on the cover of several magazines and was to audition for a few movies in Los Angeles in the fall after she wrapped up her romantic comedy co-starring a famous Spanish soccer star-turned actor in Madrid when they got back. She was also an aspiring filmmaker and would be debuting at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Nina hadn't discovered her true calling for she excelled at almost everything in high school. She had considered coming to study in America but she changed her mind when she got an internship at a publishing company for English Vogue while she took some classes at Oxford. Oxford-graduate Jacques was already apprenticing for his dad's business in real estate but he had loved Nina since they were kids.

I admired my rather eccentric cousins. They all resembled each other so much yet they couldn't be anymore different. They could irritated me in a millisecond and they could cheer me up when I was in a moment of despair.

I just wished they'd let go of the whole Derrick thing.

Derrick and I had talked about…our lives. Where we lived and where we grew up. He told me he was born and raised in Brooklyn. He currently attended Columbia University, almost giving me a heart attack. It was pretty much impossible to get into Columbia, unless you were a wicked genius like Derrick was. He was obsessed about physics and all the natural sciences. He loved soccer. I didn't pen him as the athletic type somehow. He confessed that he was the type who would be caught having his nose in a book, though. A contradiction after another. He wanted to be an engineer, a prosperous one at that. He was going to places he's never been to before and Niagara Falls was officially crossed off his bucket list (he told me he actually kept one).

I told him I lived in Westchester and went to Siren-Tomahawk High. I got decent standardized test scores, even though they would never compare to those Ivy League-aspiring kids (like Derrick). My parents had always been on my case about getting good grades so I was a certified an intellectual badass at school (instead of being referred to as a nerd). I told him that I wanted to be a lawyer but that I was really passionate about journalism, so I was thinking of having that as a minor. I told him about my favorite music. I told him how much I liked to dance…in the privacy of my bedroom with the music blasting in my earphones. I even told him that I wasn't a big fan of running. If I were ever chased by a psychotic serial killer, I'd be screwed.

Apparently, he was obsessed with Death Cab For Cutie and Maroon 5, just like I was. He was surprised that I was a tomboy, since I looked as girly as any girl could possibly get in Celia's dress. It seemed as if he were impressed or a little overjoyed at the fireworks. I couldn't tell.

I learned that he traveled a lot to escape having to go back and forth from his split-up parents. I emphasized with him because Dylan's parents went through a harsh split years ago. She had always confided in me and that made me feel pretty special. When we were about to really tell each other about who we were because we were getting along swimmingly, Nina and the others came to drag me away from him to go meet my mom back at the hotel.

"_I guess this is goodbye." I said as casually as I could but believe it or not, I felt this considerable pain in my chest from having to leave. I really liked him, even if we'd just met. I guess we just clicked. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Harrington."_

_He got up from the table to walk me over to the girls. "You, too."_

_We stared at each other long enough that Isobel coughed, leading to Nina elbowing her on the ribs which led Celia to slam her palm against her forehead out of annoyance. _

"_Hey." He coughed as he got his phone out. "Would it be okay if we got each other's numbers. It feels…like there hasn't been enough said." He looked frustrated, like it pained for him to admit it._

"_Sure." I smiled. I couldn't help it. He was really cute when he looked like that._

And after that, the girls couldn't quit harassing me about how it went.

"Alicia!" Nina shook me again.

I turned red since everyone around us was gaping.

"So, what's happening today?" I asked, dodging Nina's next comment on my so-called relationship with Derrick. She wouldn't have been wrong. I had thought about him when I let myself but most of the time, I tried to be preoccupied so my thoughts wouldn't drift to the memory of his laugh or the way the fireworks' glow outlined his features.

"You are going to call Derrick!"

I was surprised that it was Celia who blurted it out. I mean, she was the sane one of the Callas sisters.

Well, it turns out that that didn't stop her from messing with me.

It's been 2 days since that night. He hasn't contacted me since. I knew it was hopeless. "Why should I? Shouldn't the guy make the first move, _Isobel_?"

Isobel would back me up on this. She was so traditional when it came to dating. She waited for the guy to ask her. She never got desperate because she was drop dead stunning, though. What surprised me was she had her morals when it came to dating, ones that were worth respecting. She surprised me when she blurted, "_Tienes que llamarlo._" (You have to call him.)

They weren't serious. Even Nina had nothing to say. She just looked at me with her determined gaze. She was obviously on their side.

"But…I…No! I can't…" I was weak, simple as that.

Minutes strolled by and the 4 of us went upstairs to our suite. I plopped myself on the bed I was forced to share with Isobel. I lied down because my head started throbbing.

Nina walked to stand directly in front of me, hands on her hips. "Hey Alicia…Is your friend Cameron…_available_?"

"Huh?" I blushed as I got myself up. "Available?"

"Heh." She smirked as she caught me by surprise. She shoved her hands into my jean pocket to get my phone out.

"Nina, what the-?" I shrieked.

She shoved her hand on my forehead to keep me from attacking her. For a petite girl like her, she had hands of steel.

Celia and Isobel were primping in the bathroom so I was surprised they couldn't hear my protests.

Nina scrolled through my phone and I realized what she was trying to do.

I blushed even brighter. "Nina! NOOOOOO!"

"_Qué pasa?" _(What's the matter?) Celia and Isobel asked in unison when they both ran out of the bathroom to see what was going on.

"It's ringing!" Nina sang.

"Nina Marie Antonieta Callas!" I shrieked. "Hang up right-"

"Hello." She said smoothly. "Is this…Derrick?"

I bit my lip almost on the verge of having it bleed. I couldn't believe she did that and even more, I couldn't believe he answered.

I looked at the twins in disbelief. "Why are you guys just standing there? Help me!"

Celia shrugged while Isobel winked. Of course, they were in on this.

"I'm Nina…Alicia's cousin?…Yes, yes!" Nina laughed as she sat beside me on the plush mattress. She was so screwed once I got a hold of her. "…Well, she's out for a bit so I thought I would take this chance to see how you…_felt _about her."

_What?_ I mouthed. I gripped one of the bed's pillows and screamed into it.

"What? Oh that's just the TV." Nina laughed.

"Oh…" Nina placed her hand over her mouth. "I see. Well, that's good!" She looked at me with the weirdest grin on her face. "She's back! Why don't you ask her?"

"Huh? Ask me what?" I demanded.

Nina shoved the phone toward my ear. I had to catch my breath. "Hello?"

"Alicia? Hey, it's Derrick." His voice tickled my stomach. Great, I had it just as bad as the night after we left the tower. I had to catch my breath at the sound of his voice.

"I figured." I prayed to God that my attempt at sounding nonchalant was working.

He laughed. Obviously, not. "How are you? Your cousin sounded eager."

"Fine, just fine…She's engaged so back off if you know what's good for you." I said coolly. "And…you?"

I could tell he was smirking on the line's other end. "I don't think she sees me that way. I think she wants us…you and me…to talk. And I did have something to ask you. I was about to call you, actually."

"What is it?" I held my breath. So he was going to call. Nina just had to make me look like the desperate chick we all knew I wasn't.

"My sister's a tour guide for the Maid Of the Mist tour. Do you wanna go with me?"

"Are you kidding? I've been dying to go!" I had no restraint on sounding as joyful as a little girl.

He laughed. "Great."

Derrick told me to meet him where the lines began for the tour. He promised to get us at the front of the line because he knew an employee, his sister Sammi. Despite my protests because I hated skipping lines, especially people who skipped in lines, Derrick's method of persuasion worked.

"I figured after we took the ride we could go out around the city and then go to the White Water Walk."

My heart almost stopped after he mentioned the White Water Walk. We were going to walk alongside the falls. Together. Alone. It was supposed to be romantic, you know, if you went with the guy you were crazy about.

And I wasn't going to admit that I had it bad for Derrick Harrington. There was no way.

After I barely managed to get my shrieking cousins to calm down, I went into the bathroom to get myself ready to meet him.

Putting on my favorite eye shadow and some light gloss, I figured that would be enough. Then, I brushed my hair and it looked so silky that I knew that I was blessed by God with a good hair day. I slipped on my royal blue relaxed dolman slub top with black matelot trouser shorts. Nina knocked on the door persistently, asking me if she could help with anything. Having said no about 20 times already, I was getting frustrated.

I opened the door to have her throw her sandals at me.

"Hey!" I rubbed my arm where the pair of shoes hit me. They were braided T-strap sandals.

"Trust me, your shoe collection's no match for mine. Plus, it'll look good with your outfit."

An insult and a helping hand. Typical Nina. "Thanks."

I walked over to meet Derrick, leaving my disappointed cousins in my wake. They wanted to drop me off like they were my mothers.

I loved Canada. I inhaled a breath of fresh air and relaxed as my shoes stepped on the pavement. There was a swing to my step and I made sure I knew when and when not to cross the street.

Once I reached the lines for the tour, I noticed Derrick's silhouette. I'd recognize that dirty blond head anywhere.

But as I got closer, I saw that he was with someone and that someone did not look like his sister. Her honey-colored hair swayed in the breeze perfectly as she tossed her head back and laughed at something stupid that Derrick said. I realized that I was seething. Was there any reason to get jealous?

Of course, there was. Because she leaned in on her tip toes and pulled the collar of his shirt down so she could kiss him.

I stopped in my tracks just a few feet away from them. All I had to say was one word and he would hear me.

"Hey."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Agh, sorry it's been over a month since I've updated. Back to school, college apps, yadayadayada. But anywho...Here's a new chapter! :) Review now what don'tcha?**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

I ran up the stairs, fearless. I figured it was safe to admit to myself that I was indeed interested in Derrick Harrington. The glimmer of mischief in his eyes and his smooth, easy-going aura. It was undeniable that I was drawn to him. The way he understood me and didn't fall asleep at my life's story. I really liked him.

But once my hope took an all-time high, it came crashing down at the speed of light.

I found him chatting with…Someone who looked way too friendly with him to just be his friend.

She was beautiful. Strikingly so. She was the ideal American girl. She looked so familiar but I couldn't pinpoint where I've seen her before. Her golden blonde mane fell down to practically her mid-back. Her bronze skin was toned to perfection. She made me envy her so much and as much as I didn't want to, I felt insecure as hell.

There were moments in your life when you knew you'd rather be anywhere but where you were at that moment. Like in the seventh grade, when we played spin the bottle and it was Cam's turn. After he'd spun the bottle, it pointed at me. Or when I tripped in the Christmas ballet recital when I was 8. I was called Domino Girl for weeks because I'd caused the other girls to fall. Or when I saw Josh and Claire making out, knowing that I wasn't supposed to. They saw me and made me swear to secrecy about their canoodling for months before they decided to be out in the open with their relationship. This moment took the cake. Derrick and this harlot fooling around near one of the natural wonders of the world. Okay, I knew I was being a tad dramatic but put yourself in my shoes. You meet a guy and his causal smolder can't be out of your head for even 5 seconds. And then you see him again, thinking that maybe you and him were onto something. You talk and realize that you have a great chemistry with him. You get his number and he gets yours. He doesn't call for a few days, which you try so hard not to take to heart but you end up doing so anyway. And when you wound up seeing him again, it just so happened to be when you saw him ending a date with some other conquest he's made here.

Was I wrong to think that me hanging out with Derrick was something more? Even if I only thought that the tiniest bit to be possible? "Alicia..." Derrick yanked himself free from the blonde's clutch. She cocked her head my way. "Who are you?" Her navy blue eyes narrowed at the sight of me. Well, she seemed nice.

"I'm just a passerby who was just leaving." It was times like these when I wished I ran as fast as Chris Plovert, captain of the track team, did. I turned away from the steamy pair and started walking even farther from the hotel room, away from the line for the tour, and…

To tell you the truth, I didn't know where my feet were gonna take me.

"Hey! Wait up!"

I told myself that I was just imagining things. Like when I thought Chris Abeley was coming towards me his graduation night but he was actually running toward his girlfriend Fawn. Derrick and Chris weren't so different after all.

I've been let down, yet again, by the person I was stupid enough to fall for.

Forgetting that Derrick played soccer since he was 3, I found him taking a light grasp of my arm as he'd easily caught up to my so-called run. I tried to yank myself away but I'd met his eyes.

His pleading chocolate brown eyes, dear Lord.

"What, Derrick?" I demanded, my voice quivering.

"Didn't we have a date planned?" He knitted his brows together. He was so sinister and so innocent at the same time. How did guys manage to pull that off?

"I thought we did, but I realized that you'd made other plans." Well, that pretty much cleared up the whole jumble of thoughts that ran through my head.

"What? With Olivia? She's just a friend. Well, a different sort of friend." He'd sounded uncertain when he'd mentioned the word "friend". Olivia and him were obviously friends with benefits then if she weren't some part of a sick game he was more than likely playing.

"Good to know." I batted my lashes to see if I could distract him. It had worked and I was able to escape his hold. "Now if you'll excuse me." I walked speedily away.

"Hey, give me a second. I beg you." He'd ran and stood in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. He looked down at me with determination.

I shot him a skeptical look.

"Please." He widened his eyes and I don't think he was doing that just to annoy me.

I caved. "Fine. You have my attention but good luck with trying to keep it."

He sighed as he ran his hand through his tousled hair. "Olivia's been my best friend since we were in middle school. We haven't been able to hang out since high school's ended. When we found out that we were both here, well things just happened. We got back into the swing of our…how to put it…antics."

I raised my brows. "Antics? You mean this is considered normal? Making out with your best friend? Thinking it doesn't really mean anything when it actually does?"

"Alicia, I-" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Wow, you must have let those insignificant details slip your mind on Friday night." I couldn't believe it. He was as twisted and demented as the rest of the guys back home. Who was I to have expectations for guys from somewhere else?

Summer Lesson 43: Guys, no matter what country you're in, suck. End of story.

"Well, what did you want me to say? I like kite flying and sailing with my grandparents. I skateboard with my cousins when I visit them in Phoenix. And oh yeah, my best friend and I make out just for the hell of it.? No strings attached?"

"You really are demented enough to fit the stereotype…" I raised my chin up as I pondered the right word for his category of being a total man-slut. He was making me so frustrated. I mean I could've just walked away. Why couldn't he just let me go? I would've been 1 less friend he had to play with. What's 1 less of your toys to your sick game?

"Which one?" He demanded.

It didn't take long to figure it out. "The one that's fitting for douche bags. I can't believe that I thought you were actually a decent guy!"

"I am a decent guy! Just give me the chance to prove that to you."

"No."

"Then can you at least let me finish pleading my case?" He begged, putting his hands together as if he were praying to God.

I groaned. "Proceed."

"Olivia and I…Well, we crushed on each other every now and then since we were 12...We were together now and then until we realized that we were better friends every time. But we both really couldn't have…something serious…We couldn't go out with other people without it ending in disaster…so we relied on each other for…you know, comfort. I don't play this "game" as you like to call it with any of my other friends. Look at you making an ass out of you and me." He was starting to convince me, the cocky bastard.

Great. He caught me assuming things. But honestly, who made out with his or her best friend for the hell of it? You didn't see me making out with Cam when I failed my algebra quiz. And I guess he wasn't even hurting anyone. Since he said that he and Olivia were both on good terms with this situation. This extremely messed up situation.

"So you said this was a date?" I asked after a very prolonged silence.

He nodded as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Okay. Let's go." I didn't know if I would regret this decision. We'd just have to wait and see.

"Seriously?" He gaped.

"What?" I glared. Was he really going to keep testing my patience?

"You're not gonna make me stand here and argue with you for hours?" His expression looked like he'd just seen an incoming tsunami standing over me and it was about to crash over us. Pure disbelief.

Did he honestly think I was uptight? "Well, I could. But that's no fun, now is it?" I asked, exasperated.

"Look, I'm really sorry. Olivia did that out of nowhere and I told her that I was meeting someone today."

I tried to control my shaking fists because Olivia, though I didn't know why, set me on edge. Especially when the memory of her kissing Derrick flashed through my mind. I don't think I'll be able to erase the memory of them together like that. I felt like such a fool but I wasn't going to give Derrick the satisfaction of knowing that.

And I knew that I was overreacting. It was crazy for me to think that this could turn into something. Him and me. I knew I shouldn't have hoped. But in the end, I had. Stupid me.

"It's okay. She caught you off-guard, didn't she?" I whispered loud enough.

"Yes!" Derrick nodded eagerly.

"I'm sorry for…freaking out on you like that." I sighed admittedly. "I just…had these expectations. And…you were so nice to me. And I thought that you might actually be interested in me. And when you'd asked me to see you that it wasn't because you thought I was a desperate loser. And-"

He was astounded at my babble. "Alicia!"

"What?" I thought I was on a roll with this whole spilling-your-guts stunt.

"You had every right to have those expectations. I mean, what guy in his right mind would just want to be friends with you?"

Well…

He continued before I could even find the words to say. "I like you. I was breaking things off with Olivia because I wanted to get to know you. And I was waiting for you here when she barged over, kissed me, and try to screw everything up. I'm really so-"

I couldn't help the next thing I did. I stood on my tiptoes and leaned up to kiss his soft-looking lips. He didn't need to apologize anymore. He was forgiven. It was a quick peck on the lips but if I didn't shut him up he was going to ramble the way I had. I'd

When I'd let him go, and to tell you the truth I didn't want to, his eyes fluttered open and he had this dreamlike expression on his face.

"Wow. You kiss just like you dress. You're killing me softly…" He joked.

I exploded in a fit of laughter. "You did not just say that out loud."

"But I did. Derrick Harrington: Mr. Honesty." He shrugged with a grin on his face.

"Alicia Rivera: Miss Blown Away." I laughed again,

"You? You pretty much knocked me off my feet with that little kiss."

I blushed bright red. For a second, I forgot my sudden boldness. He made me do stupid things. It was better I realized it sooner than later.

He smiled wider and offered me his arm. "Shall we?"

I grinned, an eyebrow raised. "Okay." I took his arm and we roamed the streets.

The seconds turned into minutes as our hands touched slightly as we walked beside each other and my heart was doing cartwheels. It felt nice to be like this with someone. I didn't know I could be like this. I hadn't expected to have this until I was like midway through college. We walked through stores and I was surprised to find a store that sold FC Barcelona T-shirts. FC Barcelona was my favorite soccer team of all time. What stunned me was that Derrick liked Real Madrid, FC Barcelona's sworn enemy.

"Holy crap!" I screamed as I saw the T-shirts on display of the retail shop. "They sell these here? Let's go inside!"

I ran into the store without hearing whether or not he gave me a response.

"Isn't Barcelona the best team that ever walked the planet?" I swooned at a picture of players Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.

"…They're all right." Derrick shrugged.

My stomach flipped, and this time it wasn't because I was self-conscious around him. I had to fight the urge not to claw his eyes out at this very second. My eyes widened as I grimaced.

"You okay?" He frowned as he cocked his head curiously.

"So what team do you root for?" I spat.

"Alicia…Are you seri-"

"WHAT TEAM?" I shouted loud enough for everyone in the store to look straight at us.

Derrick noticed all the eyes on us. "Will you calm down?"

"Not until you tell me what team you support." I demanded.

"Really?"

I nodded 3 times.

"All right. Real Madrid."

Today marked the very first annual Alicia-will-kick-Derrick-right-where-it-hurts-the-most day.

I took a mental note to thank Kristen later for forcing me to sign up for that summer tae-kwon do class last year.

Well, after 15 minutes of arguing about who's the better team, we decided to cool down our tempers with some ice cream.

He stuck the tip of his ice cream cone on my nose. His mint chocolate chip ice cream found a home on the tip of my nose.

"Seriously? It's freezing! I'm gonna get sick." I wiped the ice cream off.

He frowned. "I was going to lick it off. You know, to give you a thrill."

"Are you always this straightforward with flirting?" I demanded as I blushed.

"Naturally."

We later took the 2 o'clock Maid of the Mist Tour. I met Derrick's older sister Sam. She had Derrick's blond hair, except it was two shades lighter. Her hazel eyes glimmered with the Harrington mischief.

"Call me Sammi!" She smirked. "So…you decided to give my pesky little brother a chance at love?"

Derrick rolled his eyes with the same smirk on his face. I was at a loss for words.

"I guess you could say that." I laughed.

"Well, you seem like a pretty cool girl. I wish you the best of luck and prepare for the battle scars."

"Battle scars?" I crinkled my brows.

"She's just kidding…" Derrick, all of a sudden, looked nervous.

Sammi winked at me. "I'm probably just a tad bit hard on Derrick."

He spoke bitterly. "A tad, huh?"

She ruffled his head, even if she was a few inches shorter than him. "See you later! Enjoy the ride!" She motioned for us to board the boat. We got our blue raincoats and slipped them over our clothes.

"She thinks that you're going to hurt me." I said after a long silence.

I'd stuck a nerve because he shuddered.

"Well…" I continued. "I'm pretty sure she's wrong."

"Who's to say I won't?" His voice turned melancholic and hopeless at the same time. I haven't seen this side of him before and I didn't think I'd see it this soon.

"Who's to say I'd let things get that far?" I challenged him.

His eyes fell onto mine. "You're the first girl that I've ever met who's spoken to me like that."

"Does that impress you?" I smoothly flipped my hair over to one shoulder.

The boat's captain shouted over the intercom. "All right folks! We're about to embark on our world famous tour of Niagara Falls. Please be sure to have your raincoats on and to hold on tight." His hearty laughed echoed across the crowded boat. A mother was holding on tight to her twin sons while a group of college kids had a look of nostalgia on their faces and rejoiced as the boat's engine started. It was as if time stood still for Derrick and me.

He leaned closer to me. "Yeah, it kinda does," he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

When the boat moved, I almost lost my balance and I fell into Derrick's strong arms once again. I met his eyes and he asked me if I was okay.

"I'm great." I said nervously but I had meant it.

The falls were awe-inspiring, and so romantic. I totally didn't regret Derrick's offer on our date now.

Or did I stop regretting when he'd caught me before I almost fell?

Oh well, what was the point in thinking about that? I really liked Derrick. Despite him liking my sworn nemeses, I was willing to give him a chance.

We'd gotten soaked as the rapids from the falls gotten us.

"The water's freezing!" I laughed, eyes widened in gleeful amusement.

"Your hair's all over you face. Let me fix it."

He'd stroked my hair away from my face and I'd almost stopped breathing. He had such a warm caress. I wouldn't be surprised if he ripped his shirt off, proclaimed his love for me, and told me he was a werewolf.

Well, fantasy or not, I would have been knocked off my feet with shock.

"Your eyes aren't giving you away at this moment, you know that?" Derrick accomplished a half-smirk.

"Really?" My friends have always told me that I'm an open book.

"Nope. And it's killing me not knowing what's on your mind."

I tried to come up with a clever response. "Isn't that what this interesting, though?"

He chuckled as he'd let go of me. "You bet it does."


	4. Chapter 4

_**first off, I am so terribly sorry that I haven't updated this in a while! But I haven't given up on it! It's considerably one of my personal best stories I've ever written! Seriously guys I hope you still give this a chance. School's been back for a while and the college application process has finally blown over a bit. Honestly, I can't wait till December 1st! Hope you enjoy the chapter! Reviews would be nice like a chocolate milkshake with a cherry on top. (:**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

1 month later

"So how is everything?" Derrick asked.

"Everything's…everything, I guess." I responded over the phone as I painted my nails scarlet red. "School's been back for a week and I'm already craving some summer."

He chuckled. "I forgot that you were still a senior.

"So what it's like?" I asked.

"What's what like?" He responded.

"What's it like to be out on your own?" I asked, a little more confident this time.

Derrick was packing his belongings back into his suitcases after having spent a few weeks with his family in Phoenix. He was visiting his aunt down there before he came back to New York. He didn't start his sophomore year at Columbia for a few more days.

"It's pretty easy to get used to it when you've had a life like mine. Having no one to worry about but myself. My parents send the occasional gift baskets asking me to come visit them during the holidays. Funny thing is I can't split up into two people and go off pleasing the two of them so I just blow them off."

Derrick had only recently started opening up to me the way he had about his personal life. Ever since I came back to Westchester, we have been talking and emailing each other non-stop. I even got harassed by Claire and Kristen, the lovesick girls that I call my best friends, to lay off on the texts I was sending back and forth with Derrick.

"Maybe you wanna come spend the holidays in Westchester with my family and me, then?" I choked. It was hard to relate to Derrick's situation. He shunned people out. Yet he kept me close by. I didn't know why.

I could feel him smiling over the line. "Sounds great, Rivera."

When he talked so smoothly like that, I couldn't muster up something logical to say. "Yeah."

"So…Any guys bothering you that I should be worried about?" He abruptly brought up.

I almost choked on the water I was drinking. I coughed. "Very funny."

He laughed. "No, seriously…"

I raised an eyebrow. He didn't need to see me to know that I was doing so. "Any girls tearing down your door?"

"Nope. Olivia visits every once in a while to check up on me. Apparently, the phrase "just friends" doesn't settle with her…"

"You read my mind, exactly…" I rolled my eyes. Derrick was able to explain the "Olivia situation" after all. And I finally was able to remember where I'd recognized her from. She was Olivia Ryan. She's an up-and-coming model that lives in the city. She reunited with Derrick at one of the 18 and up clubs in town about a year ago. They go way back to their diaper days. Olivia was the big fish in her small pond back in Derrick and Olivia's high school in Brooklyn. She was a year older than me and a year younger than Derrick.

"…You know I trust you, right?" I asked.

"What?" He sounded confused.

"I know you wouldn't go behind my back and hook up with her." I admitted.

"…Are you sure about that?" Now he sounded stirred up.

"What?" I gawked at his suddenly guilty tone. Oh, crap, has he been doing what I have been doubting all along?

He laughed so hard. "A test of your trust. You failed."

"…Harrington, you fail at life." I groaned.

"Alicia! It's time to go pick up your present!" My mom's voice resounded across our house.

"Well, I've gotta go. So I'll talk to you soon?" I said to Derrick as I was walking towards the door out of my room.

"Yeah." Derrick chuckled, still not getting over his lame joke. "Happy Birthday, again."

"Thanks." I blushed at the sudden softness in his voice.

...

"Three."

"…Two."

"One!"

"SURPRISE!"

After getting my much promised MacBook Air for my birthday, I thought I was coming home to get ready for my birthday dinner. However, I was met with something that I had hoped for all my eighteen years.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICIA!"

I was ambushed by all my family and friends. Cam ruffled my hair. Josh lifted me up. Claire and Massie squeezed me hard in a massive group hug. Dylan even started crying from all the emotion. Kristen comforted our red headed friend. Skye, my old neighbor and old ballet classmate, even dropped by. Skye saw the potential I had in dancing even if I didn't myself.

The festivities commenced in the patio in our backyard. Chris Plovert was our residential DJ, God help us all. Kemp was even attempting to dance, unintentionally grinding against Kristen. She laughed as she hit him. My parents were mingling with the other adults. I felt really happy being surrounded by everyone. But something was missing.

I wished that Derrick was here.

Now this is not going to be one of those cheesy moments where Derrick magically appears from thin air and gives me a hell of a kiss. Not by a long shot.

A slow song started playing when I had started getting all melancholic and longing for Derrick. I was being so pathetic. I was having the party to end one of the best summers I have ever had and I wasn't going to spend it moping around.

Cam, in his tall, dark superman glory, walked over to me and reached his hand out to me. "Can I have this dance?" He wore a fancy coat and tie for the occasion with his nicest pair of jeans. He looked breathtakingly amazing. But for me, he was just Cam, my best friend.

Ah, it was always a relief to see Cam. Of course, I had more than one best friend, but Cam was always the one that was closest to me. He understood me and my imperfections. He was one of the only people that I even bothered to tell about Derrick. I was hoping that he would give me some pointers about dating since he had gone out with Dylan last year.

It was a wonder for a lot of Tomahawk High students why Cam and I had never gone out. Cam and I even have even questioned the fact that we've never gone out. I guessed our friendship meant a lot more than what other people expected us to be.

"_It's only love, it's only pain. It's only fear, that runs through my veins. It's all the things you can't explain that make us human."_

Well, Plovert knew how to pick out his music. I have misjudged him.

Couples began forming and coming into the center of the dance floor. Some couples even went up to the little gazebo my uncle Vincent built years ago. Cam took me there.

"So how's the birthday girl?" He asked in a singsong tone.

"Oh. Well, I've been fine." I said, my voice slightly cracking. Even I didn't believe my partial lie.

"Is that so, huh?" He looked at me knowingly. He could tell something was up.

"I'm having a great time." I swore.

He smiled wide. "You don't have to keep things from me. I know something else is up."

I thought of a response as he spun me around. "Sometimes I wonder why I tell you things. Now you know me well enough to be able to tell when something's up."

He pulled me close but not enough for it to turn awkward. "I didn't need thirteen years of your friendship to know that something was up. Even the girls knew that your mind was somewhere else."

I sighed, avoiding his gaze. "I'm sorry."

His face sobered from all humor. "You miss him that much, huh?"

So much that he would never understand. "Yeah. I mean, I felt like we were meant to meet. I know it sounds ridiculous and like something out of an overrated chick flick but I feel like I might actually be falling for him.

Cam's eyes avoided mine now as he seemed to be gazing out into the night sky. "Well, if he's worth it, he'll come around. And if he doesn't…"

He spun me around a few more times and pulled me even closer. "His loss."

...

"Seems to me like you and Cam were in 'deep conversation' over there." Kristen noted. I was sitting with her by some of the chairs on the patio. I almost choked on my lemonade.

"What's with the sarcasm?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Have you not seen the way he looks at you?" The dirty blonde rolled her eyes as she got up from her chair, fixing her purple dress.

After Cam had suddenly made me start feeling self-conscious and anxious and all these emotions a person is not supposed to feel when they're around their best friend, I was saved by Kristen. She could tell that I was extremely freaked out.

I frowned. "I don't follow…?"

Kristen groaned. "For a nerd, Leesh, you're pretty dense."

I didn't want to believe any of the insane ideas I was getting in my head so I shook it out of my head. "Whatever, Kris. Can we just change the subject?"

She turned her green eyes over to me and smiled. "Of course. It's your birthday. And I'll make an exception. Just for today. But I won't guarantee I'll keep my mouth shut for the other 364 days of the year."

Kristen was the top student in our senior class so whenever I got a better grade than her in Biology, which would be pretty rare, she would flip. She had a tendency of being a perfectionist but all of us somehow found it endearing.

And would you believe how red her face turned when her boyfriend walked over to us?

"Hey, there." A tall red headed boy kissed Kristen deeply, making her turn as purple as her dress. Todd was Kristen's long-term boyfriend. He was Claire's older brother, who was visiting before he went back to Dartmouth.

"Hey, yourself." She was stunned to silence. And there could not have been a more perfect time for Todd to step in and distract my meddlesome best friend.

"Hey, Todd!" I smiled.

He wrapped his arm around Kristen's shoulders. "Alicia, happy birthday! Thanks for the invite!"

Anything to keep my best friend preoccupied in times like these. "Don't mention it! Just help yourself to anything and have a great time!" I smiled as I left the two lovebirds alone.

I roamed through my party, socializing every chance I could get. Both of my parents were actually having fun and…smiling. I haven't seen them this laid back since I was ten.

"Hey, kiddo!" My dad patted my back. "You enjoying yourself?"

I nodded as my mom grinned. She said, "I hope we didn't give you a heart attack from the surprise."

I laughed. "Of course not. I loved it."

My mom's cell phone started ringing. It didn't come as a surprise for me anymore. When it came to being with my parents, it wouldn't be natural if neither of their phones rang.

I smiled and told her she could answer and I continued mingling and dancing.

Josh made a bad girl out of our sweet, innocent Claire as they ruthlessly made out on the tire swing of the quince tree in the yard. I felt more than ashamed as I quickly turned away from them to find Cam standing right in front of me.

My heart jumped as I tried to breathe normally. "Don't do that!" I smacked him.

"Do what?" He frowned as he rubbed his arm. "Was that necessary?"

"If you keep coming around like some silent creeper, then yeah!"

He chuckled and I almost believed that the awkwardness from earlier had never happened. Almost.

Cam's blue and green eyes turned serious as he looked at me. I mean, he was boring holes through my face.

"…What is it?" I frowned.

All of a sudden, he smiled. "Gotcha."

"What the hell?" I snapped.

"You thought I was going to kiss you or something like that back there?" He demanded.

It was my turn to feel like an idiot. But was I wrong to think that something was up with him?

"Tell me the truth, Leesh." He whispered softly.

I whistled into the wind to try to break the tension. "Kind of."

For what seemed like the longest minute, Cam's face remained serious. It was like he was at war with his thoughts or something. I didn't know what was going on in that mind of his. And then he burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry if I scared you back there, Leesh. But I wanted to get your mind off of Derrick for at least a while…I guess it worked."

…What was that supposed to mean? Once I got answers, he left me with more questions that I needed to get answered.

"Cam, there are other ways to get my mind off of a guy. Show tunes. Or cookie dough. Or shark documentaries!" I had to restrain myself from truly shouting at him.

He grinned. "I'm sorry. Forgive me? Please?"

I huffed, too tired and hung up on this that I just wanted to give up. I was wrong about Cam feeling something different for me. No more maybe this…or maybe that…I made myself believe that Cam was my best friend and that I was his. And that was that.

...

**SATURDAY, AUGUST 27****TH**** - 2:15 AM**

_**-A surprise party, huh? Were you shocked? -Derrick**_

_**-A definite understatement. It was great. All of my friends came. A lot of the family was here. There was a DJ. He came at no charge! And my favorite cake flavors were included. (: -Alicia.**_

_**-I'm sure it was. I hope you had a good time. I wish I could've been there, but I promise to make it up to you when I'm back in New York tomorrow. **_

_**-I know. I hope you have a safe flight. Make sure you said hi to Ricky and Lola for me.**_

_**-Of course. I miss you, little Leesh.**_

_**-Little Leesh? Was that supposed to make me laugh?**_

_**-…Well, did it?**_

_**-I smiled for a second.**_

_**-That's more than enough for me. (:**_

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><p><em><strong>Song mentioned: Human by Civil Twilight<strong>_

_**Oh dear, could a love triangle be looming on the horizon? Stay tuned and find out!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I apologize in advance for my procrastination. I've had a lot on my plate with college apps, crush drama, family issues, and typical teenage stuff. Please forgive me. As you can see, I obviously haven't given up so please keep reading. :D Review so I can be inspired to post tomorrow. ;)**_

_**Inspired by the DH in my life. Even though we're far from getting together, you pretty much resemble this story's Derrick...My kinda guy. Haha :D**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"Eh, Rivera? Would you mind closing up the shop today?" My boss, Lori, asked me as she was putting on her fleece jacket. She was hearing the highest heels I had ever seen. It was safe to assume that she had someone waiting for her.

"No problem, Lori. I had some books to get here anyway." I nodded.

When Lori left, I was officially left alone in the Waverly Bookstore. It was one of Westchester's only ones, besides your typical Barnes and Noble or Borders. I had been working here for over a year now.

It was the middle of the semester of my senior year and Derrick and I haven't spoken since September. He was currently on some program overseas that his Physics class required he'd take. I would get an occasional email. But I was starting to get impatient and frustrated.

"_Seriously, Alicia. Homecoming's almost here and you haven't gotten a date yet!"_

"_What's the point of holding out for a guy that you haven't even seen since last summer?"_

I know. My friends were right. Why was I holding onto someone that hasn't even asked me to be his girlfriend yet?

We haven't even officially kissed, for God's sake. That little peck I planted on him months ago didn't even count.

I frowned at that. I sighed as I cleaned up some of the stuff that had been left by the cash register. I looked at my iPhone and updated my inbox to see if I had any new emails of importance to me.

**Columbia University - Apply Regular Decision **

**Kristen Gregory - Pics from trip to Dartmouth (See Documents Attached)**

**Derrick Harrington - No Subject**

I clicked on the obvious message and read.

_Hey. Sorry I've been so busy here in Cambridge. I've been thinking about you a lot. I'm coming back before Thanksgiving. I miss you. _

_Living the Dream,_

_Derrick_

It took every last amount of calm I had to keep me from jumping around the bookstore and squealing like an idiot from Derrick's message.

He was finally coming back. Did that imply that he wanted to see me? Does he still think that offer for him to come spend the holidays was me is still standing? What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he just wanted to let me know that he was alive?

Oh who am I kidding? He wanted to see me. And I sure as hell wanted to see him, too.

…

"So what do you guys think?" I asked the girls as I came out of the dressing room. I even asked Skye to come so I could have an opinion that I never got to hear of as often.

Skye was the first to answer. "It's going to be kind of hard for him to restrain himself from tearing it off."

The rest of the girls giggled as I flushed bright red. "Haha. Now seriously…" I put my hands on my hips.

I was having a shopping day with my friends because Derrick had called me the same night he'd sent me the email to tell me that he did indeed wanted to see me. He wanted to pick me up from my house, meet my parents, and take me out to dinner.

I was currently trying on a purple halter dress that I thought looked pretty nice with some heels that Massie brought from her place because she thought my shoe collection was terrible.

Oh, how I miss my cousins.

"I like it." Claire nodded. "He won't be able to resist, Leesh."

Everyone giggled again and I joined in.

"So, approve?" I asked, hopeful.

Everyone nodded. I was good to go for my date this Saturday night.

…

"You're really going out with this guy?" Kemp asked at lunch.

"It's not like it would be the first time. I already know him Kempy. It's not he's some Russian spy that's come to hold me for ransom in some shady part of town." I rolled my eyes.

Massie, Claire, Kristen, Dylan, Cam, Chris, Josh, and Kemp all sat at the table in silence once I'd said that.

"You should be writing novels, Leesh." Dylan sighed. "Such a waste of talent."

Journalism did involve a lot of writing. I have been writing my own short stories since I was in ninth grade.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be shady." Cam muttered.

I frowned. When I was about to argue, Massie intervened.

"Enough about potential rapists and publishing books. I've got some pretty amazing news." Her amber eyes gleamed mischievously.

"And what would that be, Mass?" I asked, interested.

"I've got a date to Homecoming!" She screamed.

The boys groaned and the girls rejoiced. I laughed at the guys' responses.

"With who?" I asked.

"You guys remember Chris Abeley, right?" Massie asked.

I only glowered at the table in silence.

Now if I didn't have some self control, I would've let myself say:

"You backstabbing little wretch! You know how much I pined for him all those years! How can you think that it was okay to go out with him?

But I didn't say that. Massie saved me the trouble and sat back down next to me and whispered.

"I'm sorry, Alicia. But I really like him a lot. And he's changed a lot since he graduated. Plus, you never went out with him so…Look, I'm really sorry."

Well, Massie did have a point. I was just upset that Chris never liked me. I just thought Chris liked his girls blonde and tan.

Let's just hope Olivia never comes to Westchester.

"No worries, Mass. I just…liked him a lot. And I just got a little jealous is all. Forgive me?"

She hugged me. "No need to apologize. We've both got older men!"

I laughed at that. I really hoped I had my older man…

…

My parents, together, answered the door on Saturday night to meet Derrick. I told them that I met Derrick in Toronto last summer with Nina, Celia, and Isobel. They even made a long distance call to make sure I wasn't lying. The trust in this family was admirable.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rivera. My name's Derrick and I'm here to see Alicia." Derrick said.

My mom, like all of the Callas women, gushed at Derrick. "Alicia failed to mention that you were a very good-looking boy."

I heard that from upstairs. I was hanging onto the railing before I went downstairs.

My dad spoke next. "Nice to meet you, Derrick. Come in and sit down on the couch. Alicia should be down in a few minutes."

Liar. Dad knew I was ready. He just wanted some time to investigate Derrick and make sure his record was squeaky clean. It couldn't be helped.

My mom offered him a drink and I figured I'd come down.

"Derrick!" I said as I finally saw him after such a long time.

His dress shirt was white with a nice black tie. He definitely cleaned himself up for tonight. His hair was the same as it had always been, tamed and untamed at the same time. His skin was the effortless tan I remembered it to be. His dark brown eyes met mine.

"Hey!" He smiled wide as he got up from the couch and opened his arms wide.

I ran, risking the chance of falling from the heels I'd gotten a few days ago, and found myself in his embrace. He smelled of cologne and after shave. He buried his nose into my hair. I asked my mom to help me curl it and we ended up doing a pretty good job with it.

"How are you?" I asked, whispering into his ear.

"I'm great now." He whispered back and chuckled a bit.

He could probably feel my heart beating so quickly.

My dad cleared his throat and I blushed, embarrassed that my dad was a witness to one of the only intimate moments I've ever had in my life.

"Sorry, sir." Derrick grinned at me. "I just really missed your daughter."

My mom came back and brought Derrick a glass of water. "So how does she look, Derrick?" She asked, smiling.

"She looks beautiful." He said as he took my hand and squeezed it.

My stomach started filling with butterflies and I made a mental note to replay "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift over and over when I came back home before I went to bed.

…

After my parents, and my mom had given us the clear the second she met Derrick, were convinced that Derrick was safe, they let us go.

Out I walked into the driveway to see Derrick's car: the most amazing black mustang I had ever seen. He held the passenger door open for me to step inside. I almost couldn't breathe. My chest hurt.

He was one of the coolest guys I've ever met. I bet he was just this way when he was a senior in high school.

"So how long have you had your car?" I asked as I watched him find a station with good music.

He settled for the station that was playing Cobra Starship. "Since my junior year."

"Wow. You take pretty good care of it." I observed. The leather interior of the seats were pristine. I noticed he kept a rosary hanging on his rearview mirror.

"When my parents were still together, they bought it for me. I was pretty psyched." His eyes grew darker, more pensive.

I realized that we had touched upon an awkward subject.

I cleared my throat. "So, how was Cambridge?"

His eyes brightened again. "Aw man…It was incredible. They have an amazing engineering program over there. And there was a lot of sightseeing. I'm glad I wasn't alone. Some of my classmates came along because they're engineering majors like me. This year was the first time they offered the trip to sophomores." Derrick looked so happy when he talked about his adventures in England. He was really passionate about his dreams of becoming an engineer. He was really intelligent. Even if he was cocky about it, I couldn't help but like him more.

"You have a really cute smile."

I couldn't help it. I just blurted it out because I had been thinking that since the moment I met him.

He smiled, probably knowing that it would make me happy. "Is that so?"

I laughed. "Don't force yourself to smile."

"I'm not."

Well, that stunned me to silence.

…

We decided to eat at a pretty swanky restaurant because Derrick apparently had connections.

"How did you get reservations to this place?" My eyes widened at the sign for Jackson's. The building beside by the ocean was beautiful. It felt like something out of a good romantic film. I know it sounded silly. I felt my pulse quicken. I felt glad to be here.

Heck, I would be glad by simply going grocery shopping with Derrick.

I looked up at him as he was speaking to the waiter. "Harrington. Party of two."

The waiter nodded and led us to a table that seemed especially made for two. There were candles lit and flowers were placed on vases in the table. They had my favorite flowers: tulips.

"Tulips?" I asked.

"You said they were your favorite, right?"

I nodded, realizing he remembered something I texted him months ago. I told him about my favorite flowers, my favorite theme park, and my obsession with peanut butter that day.

"I don't suppose peanut butter is on the menu for tonight, huh?" I joked.

At first, Derrick frowned in confusion. Then, remembering what I'd told him, his eyes showed recognition to what I was talking about. He laughed, his eyes crinkling in the way that I dreamed about.

It's been too long.

Derrick pulled out a chair for me to sit down in. He sat down beside me.

"You look nervous. Are you okay?" Derrick asked after a few minutes of looking through the menu.

Damn it. "I'm not. I'm fine. It's just…Well, you make me feel like an awkward turtle."

He frowned. "How so?"

"You've probably been out with more girls than my fingers could count." There was no use denying that.

He cocked his head and hid a smile. "How about you? I'm sure you've accumulated a reputation in the dating area."

"Not quite."

He, to my surprise, looked taken aback. He sighed. "It doesn't mean anything, you know?"

I gave him a questioning look.

"This is now. Forget about what happened yesterday and what happens tomorrow. Tonight…And it freaks me out to admit this…Tonight I'm crazy about you, Alicia."

My heart pounded. Suddenly, it felt like the restaurant's temperature had risen a few significant degrees. I gulped.

It surprised me. Finding a guy like Derrick was like getting tickets to a One Direction concert. Next to impossible. At least, it felt like that. I didn't expect to find someone that made me this giddy until I was in the middle of college.

Could Derrick really be the guy to sweep me off my feet?

He already qualifies as a really close friend. We had fun together. We liked a lot of the same things. We had this undeniably strong connection. I knew I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Derrick had made that clear, too. He knew my cousins, who were like my best friends. I knew Olivia…Well scratch that…I met Olivia under awkward circumstances…But she was still Derrick's best friend…We know enough about each other to start something.

I coughed to clear the tension that I must have gathered from not reacting to his words. "I'm crazy about you too, you moron."

…

We had talked for what felt like hours about nonsense and serious things. I told him about the scholarship program that I was applying to so that I could expand my horizons in the application process. I was now officially applying to more schools that my fingers could count. Derrick told me about his wild adventures in England.

"Meet any fitties, as they say?" I asked.

Derrick nodded.

I frowned teasingly at him.

"Well, as they say, they're rubbish compared to you."

"Smooth, Harrington, I'll give you that."

We laughed. It felt so good to be in his presence. The deep masculinity of his voice was so darn sexy. And I so sounded like a dork right now.

"Sorry for the wait, folks. Your meal should be-"

Derrick and I had been so caught up in the moment that I hadn't realized who was our new waiter.

"Kemp?" I gaped. "You work here?"

"Good to see you," he replied as he winked at me. "So this is the infamous boy you met in Canada, huh?"

Derrick greeted him. "Nice to meet you, Kemp. I'm Derrick."

They shook each other's hands in that male way that males do. I was stunned to silence.

"I actually have some news, Leesh," Kemp said, "I won't be serving your food tonight. I'm just giving you a heads up for what you are about to see."

"Kemp, you're scaring me."

He shrugged. "Good seeing you, Derrick. See you later, Leesh."

I was curious as to what he was referring to and what he was acting so mysterious about. I thought Kemp working here was the most bizarre thing of all.

Apparently, I was wrong.

He approached our table with a large tray and put the plates on our table. "I hope you enjoy yourselves, guys."

It wasn't until I met his multi-colored eyes that I knew that this was an even bigger surprise.

He retreated before I could even say anything.

It was Cam.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! I think I haven't done shoutouts in quite a while and since this seems to be like my most promising project...I shall do them here! :D**

**it's just real, artistic-logic, funnyygirl, Would-You-Go-With-Me, pianoxgirl, 7kissestillmidnight, scarlet pearls, and Late Night Laughter!**

**For realz, you guys rock! :D**

**Thank you for reading this everyone! God bless!**

**Oh, and the song included in this chapter is Promise by Romeo Santos feat. Usher. (LOVE THAT SONG)**

**and One Direction rawks XD. jussayin'**

**REVIEW :) FOR A MASSIVE SHOUTOUT **

**and a heads up: we have moved to the Derrick arc of the story. I'm not sure when Alicia's POV shall return but for now, we will be focus on this hot guy. XD**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

_**Derrick**_

It wasn't a mistake. I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to know what it felt like to have her fingers intertwined into mine.

I noticed that when Alicia's friend left that she had seemed frustrated. I knew something fishy was going on. Only time would tell.

When the waiter brought our food, I turned my gaze over to see the look of joy come across Alicia's face because she was about to eat some pretty good steak.

But when I looked at her, she looked a tad bit…disturbed.

"Hey, you all right?" I asked her.

She blinked as if snapping herself out of her state. "Oh, I'm fine. Sorry about that. It was just…That's Cam."

Oh, Cam.

Now I was never the type to get jealous. However, I was a bit weary about Alicia's best friend being a guy who could've been my best friend if we were both the same age. He was a lot of good things, as Alicia had indicated, causing a spark of something I couldn't quite identify to rise within me.

"Why didn't he say hi?" I asked one of the questions that had popped into my mind.

"I don't know…" She said, uncertainly. It seems like she did have an idea as to why, though.

I took a bite of my steak. "You sure about that?"

Alicia stirred the straw around her Sprite. "I don't think he's too thrilled about me going on a date with you. I didn't even know he worked here so this must be extra hard on him…"

"Why would it be hard on him?"

She looked struck. "He's been acting strangely, lately…Like…Can I trust you with this? Please don't laugh."

I raised my eyebrows at her, asking her if she was serious. She didn't even need to ask that. She could trust me.

She sighed and blushed. "Sorry…This is all so new to me. Anyways, I think…Cam might like me." She mumbled the last part.

Well, my suspicions were more than likely correct now if I wasn't the only one who had that feeling.

"At least he isn't stupid."

She looked up from her plate. She had avoided my gaze since she admitted what she thought.

"At least, he knows you're a great girl."

Alicia blushed and hid her face in her hands. "You're the one who's great."

I chuckled. "Apparently, we still have to get to know each other more."

She smiled, not seeming to mind the prospect of it.

After a while, the awkwardness of that moment began to fade. We ate and talked more. I kept my eyes focused on how soft her lips looked. She seemed distracted, too. Though I wasn't sure it was for the exact same reason.

She caught my eye.

"What is it?" She asked, a smile forming.

I fumbled with my hands. "I don't know what you're referring to."

She laughed. "No, seriously. Tell me!."

"Not important."

Her eyes widened with humor. "Now I'm dying to know what it is."

I shrugged, raising my hands in surrender. "Sorry, can't say I know what you're talking about."

She frowned, a smile tugging at her lips.

…

There was no sign of Cam after he'd served our table. I paid the check through Kemp since Cam had disappeared. Alicia looked troubled.

"Hey." I grasped her hand into mine. "Don't worry about it. He's your best friend, isn't he?"

She nodded.

"Well, then he'll learn to move past his feelings and still keep your friendship."

"You make it sound simpler than it really is…But, Derrick, what if I'm just imagining things and he doesn't feel that way?"

"Then, that's one thing less you'll have to worry about." I smiled down at her.

She squeezed my hand as I led her out of the restaurant. I was taking her to second portion of our date and she didn't even know it.

"Where are we going?" She asked when we settled into my car.

I turned on the engine, a Spanish radio station playing a song that I believed was called "Promise".

She shot me a look. "You listen to Spanish music?"

I grinned. "There a problem?"

She seemed confused about how to react. She was in disbelief. Then, she said, "I love this song."

It sounded pretty good, I had to admit. A great way to set the mood with someone you liked, if you asked me. I was into this kind of music before I met Alicia. And now, I could put my taste in music into good use.

We drove a few blocks over to a night club that my godfather ran. He was someone I was pretty close to, despite my distance from my parents.

When I led her up the steps to the club, I felt Alicia's palms. They were a bit clammy.

I looked at her, my eyes asking her if she was all right.

She nodded and squeezed my hand but I could tell she was scared.

"Hey, this is a 17 and up club so the chances of anything bad happening are slim. And considering that I'm your date, the chances are even slimmer."

That got a giggle out of her. "Okay."

…

We walked through the crowd of the spellbound couples. People were mingling. People were raising their glasses to each other. The darkness of the club was an exhilarating feeling. I held Alicia's hand the entire time.

A guy crossed our path and had taken a double take when he'd seen Alicia. But then he noticed that she was obviously taken for the night so he knew better and walked away.

"That guy was about to steal you away from me." I whispered into her ear, hopefully sending tingles down her spine.

She blushed. "That's impossible."

I laughed at her. She honestly didn't know how beautiful she was, did she?

Different kinds of songs played, ranging from country to reggaeton. Alicia and I had danced to Rascal Flatts, Maroon 5, Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, and Wiz Khalifa. Then, that song come on again.

She smiled knowingly at me. She even ended up knowing the song so well that she didn't miss a beat. It was almost like we were both leading and following each other in this song. I had to hand it to Sammi who dragged me with her to that one bachata lesson. Or else I would have made a fool of myself in front of Alicia.

_**He perdido el balance por tu amor, **_

_**En tus manos yo caí, **__**tienes control sobre mi **_

_**Tu cuerpo es la cárcel y yo un prisionero **_

_**Y jamás quiero salir, condenado y soy feliz.**_

_**Try to keep my balance but I still fall **_

_**I don't know how I fall so hard **_

_**Right into your arms **_

_**Right beside you baby and it's so hard **_

_**Yeah love love love **_

_**Leaves me trapped inside my own bars**_

_**Quiero ser tuyo enterito pero tengo miedo **_

_**Prometeme que no me vas a dejar sin tu amor**_

_**I'll give you my heart girl but you got to promise **__**(Prometeme mami) **_

_**Promise you'll hold me, touch me, **_

_**Love me.. way past forever**_

As incredibly insane as it sounded, it was like she captured me under her spell. And she wasn't even trying.

I looked straight into her eyes, trying to determine at least one thing that could've been crossing her mind when we were in such close proximity.

Damn, those lips. I hoped she would let me…

I leaned down and took a leap of faith. She didn't stop me.

After all those months of actually wondering what it would've been like to kiss her, the time had finally come when we did. And it was worth the wait. I felt the fire ignite inside me. I kinda didn't want to stop. I held her tightly in my arms. I cupped her face in my hands. I begged for my tongue to enter her mouth. She seemed as hungry as I was since she let my tongue into her mouth.

When we both released each other and came up for air, she breathed heavily. She had the most passionate look on her face. Yet she had looked so curious. So wonderful.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" I asked her.

She smiled as we danced on to the next song. She was less familiar with this song so I led her.

"I took one lesson with my friend Josh. Just in case." She looked a bit embarrassed.

"Well, you're great."

She smiled. "You, too."

…

Leaving the United States and going across the big pond. It was a milestone in my life. Did I regret going? Absolutely not. Did I leave something behind? And did it matter?

Hell yes.

I missed her more than I would ever admit to anyone when I was so far away.

She understood me. She was so out there and so shy at the same time. She was a combination of the anticipated and unexpected. Her dark brown eyes never reveal a single detail about what's in her mind. And it frustrates the heck out of me.

It was the day after my date with Alicia had gone so well. I went to the batting cages with the guys when Landon knocked me out of my thoughts.

"Your turn to hit, Harrington."

I nodded and grabbed my bat. Our first game would be in a few weeks and I was getting back into the swing of things since I had been gone for so long. Thank God I had been playing since I was a kid or else I would've been a lost cause when it came to baseball.

As I was getting ready to swing, Dempsey asked, "So you're hooking up with a high school girl, huh?"

I swung and missed as the ball flew past me, hitting the cage and causing it to vibrate from the velocity of the ball machine.

Dune chuckled. "Now why would you ask the obvious?" Landon shrugged. "Guess he was the only one who had enough balls to ask. So Derrick...What's she like?"

I knew I wouldn't escape my friends' interrogation. I conceded. "Her name's Alicia. She's a senior. I met her last summer up in Niagara Falls. We sorta kept in touch since then and we are officially going out."

Dune fluttered his eyes. "Go on!"

All of the guys laughed. I rolled my eyes. Dune was the one who loved having bromances with all of us the most. It's what made our baseball team in high school so tight.

"She does it all, basically. She writes. She studies. She coordinates stuff at her school. She's loaded with school spirit. In fact, she invited me to her school's talent show in a couple of weeks."

That piqued the guys' curiosity. Landon asked, "What's she gonna do?"

"She's going to sing."

"Didn't know you liked girls that were ...artistic." Dempsey noted.

"Is there a problem with that?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head. "Nah, it's just...She sounds different from the other girls you've seen, like Olivia for instance."

I frowned. "Wanna elaborate on that?"

"In the past, you've liked girls that were…" Landon was unsure what to say next.

"As complex as a slice of bread?" Dune offered.

Dempsey grabbed his bat and went up. "My thoughts exactly."

I wouldn't deny that they were right. But I wasn't going to admit that they were either. I was pretty stubborn. It would take a lot to get me to admit that I didn't have the greatest dating experiences.

Landon put his hand on my shoulder. "She sounds great. I'm proud of you, man. Can't wait to meet her."

I smiled at my good friend. Landon and I had been pretty tight throughout our high school years. He was the brother I never had.

My phone vibrated from my pocket, interrupting my thoughts.

Landon looked at me with suspicious eyes and laughed as he went on to talk to the others.

_Hey. You busy tonight? -Olivia_

I was a bit more than annoyed at Olivia's message. She was still hung up on me I just wish she found her Mr. Right and leaved me the fuck alone.

Knocking me out of my thoughts once again was another text message.

_I have some good news! You have to come! (: -Olivia_

I wasn't going to be so gullible about that. I responded, asking her what it was. She wouldn't tell me. She wanted to lure me over.

Well, gee, was I in a pickle or what?


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sorry for being gone so long. I've had so much stuff going on with senior year ending and the college process. It's driving me crazy. Please bear with me. Your feedback would be awesome! **_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

_**Derrick**_

Driving back home to my apartment, I noticed the city lights and the approach of Christmas because of the decorations outside of shops and buildings. It was nice to think about the simple things.

And then Alicia came into mind.

At a stoplight, I checked my phone to see if she had replied to my invitation to hang out next weekend. She had accepted. I wondered if she was as worried about Cam as I was. Of course, I didn't tell her that her friendship with Cam was a tad threatening. I wanted her to trust me but how was I supposed to be sure that Cam wasn't after my girl?

My girl, huh?

Come to think of it, Alicia and I hadn't established ourselves as a couple yet despite what I told Landon and the guys. I wanted to make it official. I just hoped she did, too.

I parked my car into the parking garage and entered my apartment building that was situated next to the garage. I walked in through the lobby, being greeted by Greta, this really nice lady that reminded of my grandma who lived down in New Jersey.

She said, "Be careful, Derrick. Some strange tides are approaching."

Did I forget to mention that she was sort of…psychic?

"Okay, Greta…" I nodded slowly as I walked into the elevator.

All of a sudden, she was back to just being simply herself. "Good night, son!"

Man, she had been pretty accurate. Or maybe was it because of the haggard look I had noticed in the mirrors that were placed in the elevator?

I haven't been getting enough sleep lately. I promised I would get some shut eye the second I got home. I didn't care how early it was.

Unfortunately, it turned out that my plans had backfired.

I unlocked the door to my apartment to find quite a spectacle.

"You didn't answer my texts." Olivia said.

She was unbelievable, standing in the middle of the living room. She was wearing a bathrobe (my bathrobe) over something that I was pretty sure that was revealing.

"Doesn't mean you can come on over without telling me." I sighed, exasperated.

She frowned. "Don't you like what you see?"

I'll admit that her appearance brought back some good memories of our times together but then again, I didn't want to relive our times together, considering they left me feeling like an idiot.

"I did once." I began as I left my keys on the hanger by the kitchen counter. "I need you to please leave now."

She huffed impatiently as she followed me into the kitchen. "Come on, Derrick. Don't tell me you're sleepy already. You never used to sleep. We used to party all night when we hung out more."

"Things change, Liv. The trip to Cambridge changed my perspective"

"Don't give me that crap. It's that brunette girl that's changed you. Are you seeing her now?" She tugged at the robe, a strange habit of hers: she liked to tug at her clothes when she got anxious.

I nodded, causing her to inhale and exhale deeply.

Olivia was beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have her. I just wished she didn't think I was the only one. I moved on so why couldn't she? Her navy blue eyes glimmered a bit. It wasn't hard to tell that she was holding back tears.

"Olivia…" I reached a hand out to her but I knew that was a wrong move. I had expected her to reject my hand.

She didn't. Oh, no…

She wrapped her arms around me, causing me to stiffen. This didn't feel right. Not anymore. I patted her back.

"I need you to leave." I said carefully.

Olivia let go of me and looked up at me. "She's a lucky girl, you know."

_I'm the lucky one._ But I wasn't going to tell her that. She was disappointed enough.

I let her change back to the clothes she came in here with. When she came out to meet me at the door so I could let her out, I opened the door and we both stepped out.

She surprised me with her next words.

"I haven't told you what my good news is."

"Oh…" I was a bit weary as to what it was.

"I got the part of Kerra!" Olivia squealed.

Then, I remembered. Olivia had started getting into acting. She's been auditioning so much just so she could snag the juiciest role she could get. She got the role she had been dying for. It was supposed to be for a movie that would destroy the Twilight Saga phenomena.

"That's great!" I hugged her now since she was fully clothed.

She giggled in my embrace. She whispered in my ear, causing bad shivers to go down my back. "The leading man won't compare to you, you know."

Leaving me with that, she made her way to the elevator.

Damn, was she going to be hard to convince that there was more fucking fish in the sea.

"Hey…Derrick is it?" A voice I couldn't decipher came from behind me.

It was Cam. Boy was he good at creeping the fuck out of me.

"You're Alicia's best friend." I simply stated. "Shame you ditched so soon on Saturday night. I was going to give you a pretty generous tip."

"Kemp did mention you tipped well." Cam said with a bitter tone I could easily detect.

"What are you doing here?" I asked the obvious first.

"My older brother Harris lives across the hall."

All right, then. This was scaring the fuck out of me. If Cam looked this intimidating, I couldn't imagine how scary his older brother was.

"What's up?" I asked, knowing he had something he wanted to say since he had a look of determination on his face.

"Who was that?" Cam pointed down the hall at where Olivia had just been a few seconds ago.

"That was my friend Olivia."

"Uh huh…Didn't seem like that to me." Cam glared at me.

I groaned. "Seriously? She's my ex. I'm trying to keep my friendship going with her."

"Huh…" Was all he said.

"Look, I don't need your so-called opinion on this, okay? I really like Alicia and I would never hurt her." The moment I said it I knew that it was true, too.

Cam was surprised. He scratched his head. "So you figured it out, huh?"

Cam…Scary and confusing. "What?"

"That I'm in love with her."

So I had been right. I tried so hard to deny that it was possible.

But now the truth's out.

Cam was expecting a reply.

"I figured it out…More or less," I admitted, "It would explain why you ditched once you realized you were serving Alicia and her date."

Cam nodded.

A tense quiet followed. I knew Cam was going to say something. But when?

"Just so we're clear…You hurt her once and I'll be right there to fix her."

I knew that to be true the moment I saw him in the hallway. "And then sweep her off her feet, right?"

"Whatever it takes." Cam said as he walked past me and waved over his back. He headed towards the elevator.

Well, I wasn't going to let things with Alicia fall apart. Cam's just wasting his time holding out for her.

…

_I was dreaming. That much I knew. Alicia and I were somewhere that wasn't in New York. I knew we were still in the states, though. We were standing at the docks by the Atlantic Ocean. The sign next to us read: Frank S. Farley State Marina._

_Alicia sighed contentedly. "I'm having a great time."_

_I put my arm around her. "Me, too."_

_We looked up to the sky. The stars were shining brightly tonight. The crescent moon glowed. "Dancing In The Moonlight" was playing from a restaurant a few steps away. _

_When I was about to lead Alicia in a dance, something had interrupted._

_Actually, it was someone._

"_Alicia, he's a liar and a cheater! Why are you with him?" Cam trekked over to us. He approached Alicia, causing her to blush with uncertainty._

"_Because he isn't any of those things." She then turned to me. "Not anymore."_

_I nodded and smiled through my eyes. _

_A creepy smile appeared on Cam's face. "Guess you need proof."_

_He lifted up a photo of Olivia and I…Well, when we had an escapade during our senior retreat. _

"_That was from a long time ago!" I groaned._

_Alicia had grown stiff. "Cam, why are you doing this?"_

"_Because I want to be with you." He gripped her arms. "I love you."_

_He did what I had hoped he wouldn't. He kissed her with this unexplainable passion._

_What pissed me off was that Alicia didn't protest. She kissed him back._

"_Alicia!" I tried to claw that asshole off of her. _

_I couldn't. That's what made this dream suck even more._

"_Alicia! Cam, let go of her!"_

_Cam, not letting go of her, shooed me away with his hand._

"_God damn it…" I muttered._

My alarm clock woke me up. Thanking the Lord that it was only a fucking nightmare, I shoved a pillow over my head and snoozed for a bit more.

I checked my phone once I got up.

_Hey! Cam told me he ran into you at your apartment. What are the odds that you and Harris (Cam's bro) live in the same building? -Alicia_

I frowned. I called her up because I wanted to hear her voice. To make sure she was still into me, as ridiculous as it was.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Yeah, I have something to tell you before Cam tells you and blows everything out of proportion. I forgot that Olivia still had keys to my apartment. I figured because we weren't going out anymore, she wouldn't come in on her own anymore…Turns out I was wrong."

Alicia was quiet but she still listened, I could tell.

"She still wants me, Leesh…" I sighed.

"I know that."

"Look, I-"

"Thanks for telling me. Hearing it from Cam first would've sucked. Oh! Well, would you look at that? He just tried to insinuate that there was something going on between you two."

"Thanks for believing in me."

"Sorry, I've got school in a few minutes. So I'll see you on Friday night, right?" She sounded happy again.

"See you then." I said warmly.

…

I dreaded having to answer the door because I knew who would be there waiting. I didn't need Greta to tell me. I got an email from my mom this morning, giving me a heads up that her plane would land in the early afternoon. I finished classes and had been working on some mind-boggling physics problems.

"Mom." I said as I answered the door.

My mom smiled. She hugged me. "How's my Der-bear?"

I was hoping she wouldn't nag about how much she hates Dad this time around. My mom was Carrie Ames. I had her eyes, she would always say. Sammi got her lighter blonde hair from my mom. Some streaks of gray could be seen but my mom was still certified as hot, to my chagrin, by Dune and Griffin.

I cringed at the nickname. "Pretty good. How are you?"

"I'm sorry for the sudden visit but I just really missed you. I wanted to see how you were doing."

"You wanted to make sure that I wasn't up to no good."

"Derrick…" My mom's tone changed.

I invited her in. I thanked the Lord that I cleaned up the apartment a bit in the morning before I went to school. I told her to sit down by the island counter while I made some hot chocolate.

"How's school? Life outside of school? Are you dating somebody?" My mom shot out the questions at me.

"One question at a time." I chuckled. "School's fine. England was great. I still want to be an engineer."

My mom looked proud. Now only if she and my dad would set aside their differences and just be proud of me.

"Life outside of school…I still see Landon, Dempsey, and Dune on the weekends. We play some ball and go to arcades. And I am seeing someone."

My mom's expression change and she glowed. "Well, that's good news! Who is she, honey?"

I took my phone out and flipped through pictures I took from my summer at Niagara Falls. I had taken some pictures with Alicia then. Those pictures kept me patiently waiting to ask her out when I was still in England.

I found the picture that I wanted to show my mom. Alicia had looked really glorious that day. It was our date after the Olivia fiasco. We were walking through the White Water Walk. Alicia was giggling like a little girl and spinning in circles like a graceful dancer. She turned to smile at my camera phone taking a picture of her.

"Her name's Alicia." I handed my phone to my mom.

My mom observed the picture. It wasn't her approval that I was so worried about. Not that I didn't worry, though.

"She's beautiful, Derrick."

I nodded. "I know."

I didn't tell my mom about Alicia before when she had visited me after the summer because Alicia and I hadn't gotten together yet. Now, I could tell her everything. I told her how I saved her life. I told her how I fell for her when we met at the Skylon Tower. I told her about our escapades out in the town. I told her that we kept in touch all this time while I was out of the country and how we were dating now.

"I just have to make it official and ask her to be my girlfriend." I shrugged. It felt good to tell my mom about Alicia. I was able to keep a conversation with my mom going without it ending in an argument.

"Just how are you going to approach her?" My mom smirked. Yeah, I inherited her smirk.

That was an excellent question.

…

My mom told me she wanted to stay at a hotel a few blocks away. I refused and told her she could take my bed. I always kept an inflatable mattress just in case I had someone visiting overnight.

I decided to take the long drive to Westchester and meet Alicia at her practice for the Christmas talent show at her school.

I smirked as I listened to some Rascal Flatts on the drive over. The traffic wasn't so jam-packed so I was able to get there before Alicia finished rehearsals.

They were practicing in the auditorium located in the cafeteria.

I came at the right time, too. I made sure Alicia hadn't noticed that I came in because…

I just wanted to keep hearing the sound of her voice.

She was singing "Silent Night". She did tell me that this was going to be her first solo in the school's choir. She was pretty psyched about it.

I snuck in backstage. A girl with chestnut brown hair grinned at me. "Derrick, right?"

"I take it you're Alicia's friend."

She nodded. "You here to surprise her?"

"Yeah."

Her smile widened. "Awesome."

When Alicia had finished her song, she was surprised at the applause that had followed from the other acts. She was hugged and received a lot of praise. I had to wait behind the crowd of admirers so I could go over to her.

Alicia's friend, who happened to be named Massie, said, "Alicia, there's someone here to see you."

Alicia turned directly over to me. She gaped. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

She ran over to me and I hugged her tightly.

A lot of aww-ing and whistles were heard after that, causing us to laugh.

"I came here to ask…" I began.

She smiled up at me, question marks in her eyes.

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

She gasped slightly and placed a hand over her mouth. She thought about it, making me a bit anxious.

She giggled. "You know, I almost thought you'd never ask."

I chuckled as I kissed her.

A girl with dirty blonde hair shouted, "Fuck yeah, Leesh! Get some!"

Everyone laughed.

It felt like I was on top of the world right then.

I looked into her eyes. She avoided my gaze for a second, looking a little nervous. She hadn't worn any makeup today and I liked it. Not many girls pulled off the natural look the way she had.

"You look beautiful, you know." I whispered into her ear so no one else would hear.

"I do?" She looked at me in shock.

I laughed. "You really need to stop doubting yourself, Leesh. Lucky for you, you've got me to change that."

She rolled her eyes and engaged me in another kiss.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Suggestions for what I should do next would be fabulous! Thanks for reading! -Ariana<em>**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hey! I finally wrote a new chapter! I was inspired by fanficgirl's review (thank you by the way!) and decided to develop Olivia's character. There's more to her than meets the eye in this story. She has a story that's meant to be told. I came up with this concept this week and I'm excited! :) Please read and review! It would motivate me so much!**_

_**Oh, and for the record, the italics are flashbacks, going back to when Olivia and Griffin (new character) first met.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

_**Olivia - 3 weeks later**_

"Olivia! Sweetie! What's the problem? You were excited about nabbing this part last week. Now it looks like you just spent the weekend watching those sad homeless animals commercials."

My manager had an interesting way of figuring out what was wrong with me but he couldn't be further from the truth.

I sighed as I stirred my coffee. It had been too early to get up and start a movie that would blow The Hunger Games and Twilight out of the water. Chase was here to give some pep talks and make the finalizations for today's schedule: my first day on the set.

"Sorry, Chase. It's just been…" I managed to say.

I spaced out again, forgetting what I was trying to say.

Chase waved his hand in front of me. I snapped out of it. "I guess I'm just nervous."

My manager nodded. "Well, it makes sense. This is your first movie."

I nodded stiffly. The pressure was definitely on.

So Universal Studios bought the rights to the books, The Werewolf Journals. They were making the first book into a movie and I was pretty psyched, I had to admit. This was the role of a lifetime.

I still didn't understand what's been bugging me so much. Was it school? Was it Dad and Lily? Was it Derrick?

No, it wasn't any of those things. Sure, sometimes I felt like the dumb kid in class sometimes but everyone had that moment at least once in their lives. Dad and Lily weren't ever going to stop irritating me but I got used to the fact that Lily always seems to come first in Dad's life. And Derrick…Well, I liked him a lot. Time and time again I tried to win him back. But maybe he had been right. We were great friends and there was no point in making it something more than it should've been. I was stupid. Sure, sometimes I wanted to drop everything sometimes and sneak back into his apartment and capture him in a surprise kiss. I missed moments like that. And then I thought about it…

Maybe it hadn't been Derrick I missed. Maybe I missed the feelings I felt when I was in love.

It didn't seem like I was going to find a guy I'd be crazy about anytime soon. Considering that I was on the job right now, I was going to be busier than I've ever been.

Chase had gone on blabbering about his latest escapade with…Was it Andrew? Or Paul?

I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't get it. Why did people say I was beautiful? It felt like they were lying. I mean, I knew I didn't look awful. But then…Wasn't there supposed to be more than meets the eye?

That's why I got into acting. I wanted to show the world that there was more to me than just a "pretty face".

And then I thought about who I would see almost everyday from now on. At least until production ended.

I sighed as I gave up on tugging on my shorts. I met the reflection of my eyes. They looked red. Why was I so nervous?

Did I really want to do this? And with this guy?

Speak of the devil. There was a knock at the door.

"Oh, Olivia! Griffin's here early!" Chase couldn't contain his enthusiasm. Chase was star struck, having a bit of a crush on the Griffin Hastings.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't stand him. Haven't for a very long time.

"_Hey! Who's the airheard?" A cute…scratch that…OBNOXIOUS JERK had asked._

"_Oh, that's the new girl. She's totally clueless about how this "acting thing" works!" A girl named Ashley cackled._

_Was it really necessary to mock me? It was my first damn summer in acting camp. It was hard enough to be across the country, miles away from home, from my friends, from my bed._

_I exhaled. "Real pleasure. I'm Olivia." I couldn't contain myself from sneering._

_The jerk smirked at me and offered his hand. "Griffin."_

"Mr. Hastings! Good to see you!" Chase greeted him as he answered the door.

And here stepped in Mr. Hollywood: the epitome of a good-looking prick. And his name was Griffin Hastings.

I decided I might as well practice my acting before we started filming today. After all, I had a lot of "interacting" scenes with my co-star here. Griffin was playing my opposite. I guess that's why I've been so irritable and out of it.

"Good to see you, Chase." He sounded awful chipper for this early in the morning. Griffin met my eager gaze. "Hey."

Tingles went down my spine and not the good kind.

"_All right, guys! I've paired you guys off into groups of two and you're going to have to reenact a romantic scene."_

"_Ooh!" The kids squealed at our instructor's demands._

"_All right…" As he Mr. Trace read out the groups, I prayed that I wouldn't get paired up with…_

"_Olivia Ryan, you're with…ah, Griffin Hastings."_

_I spoke too soon. _

_I dreaded Griffin. He was vain and arrogant. He knew he was attractive, smart, talented and all that jazz. Would it have killed him to have some modesty and compassion? Ever since that day he and Ashley Bitchface called me out, he'd been on my case each and every time he got a chance._

"_Hastings." I said, unimpressed._

_It didn't faze him. "Hey, Ryan. You ready for this? We're going to do the best, I know it."_

_He left me with that as he went to get the script that Mr. Trace assigned each of the groups. I gaped at the place he had been standing._

"Griffin, how are you?" I grinned.

He lifted an eyebrow at me but still had a friendly smile on his face. What, did he think he was the only one in this room who could act? I didn't think so.

"Excited to get this project started. Excited to see you again." He winked.

He had the nerve to still mock me. I had to bust my ass to keep from seething. I laughed to mask that fact. "Oh, you haven't changed at all! You're still the flirt I met at camp ages ago!" _You're still the dickhead I can't stand._

He chuckled. "You've still managed to keep that feisty attitude of yours but…I've gotta admit you've changed…quite a bit since…"

"_A WALK TO REMEMBER?" I shrieked as Mr. Trace handed us our lines._

_Griffin frowned. "What's the problem?"_

_I had to compose myself. Everyone was doing romantic scenes today. It could've been worse. But a romantic scene with despicable him? Why, oh why?_

_I shook my head. "It's nothing. I just…really love this movie, that's all." Which is actually true._

_He smiled at me again. That really weird smile. It was a smile I'd never usually see on his face whenever he talked to me. "Okay."_

_Griffin and I, believe it or not, had a certain chemistry when we were on the stage together or behind a camera. I guess we could act well together._

_We practiced for about a week and had some off-topic conversations about where we were from, ours hopes and fears, and the people in our lives. I was surprised to find out that he turned out to be human…and of my species._

_When it was time for us to perform in front of the class, my heart started racing. Mr. Trace assigned each group to act out a kiss scene. Griffin and I had decided to kiss when we acted it out. I hoped I wouldn't mess this up. I was nervous as hell._

_I have been teased about my scene with Griffin. Sure, I made some friends in the past few weeks, praise the Lord but I still had a fair share of haters on my trace. I still couldn't understand why. Just because I didn't start acting until I was fourteen, people have been singling me out on it._

_Anyways, Griffin and I were doing the scene where it was nighttime and our characters, Landon and Jamie, were walking on a dock, fireworks booming in the distance._

_When Mr. Trace gave us the signal to go, I looked at Griffin and he nodded. I was going to start. I took a deep breath and let it out._

_I channeled Jamie: confident yet shy. Determined yet afraid. Right now she felt like admitting something to Landon, the boy she never pictured herself hanging out with because he was from a different crowd at their school. She was a goody-two-shoes and he was trying to stay out of trouble. It was like science and faith here. Jamie, a devout Christian had fallen for the ever logical Landon. Being Jamie, I said, "It's places likes this that make me certain there's a God." I imagined that Mr. Trace's room was the actual dock by the beach._

_Griffin, acting as Landon, looked at me surprised. "You're sometimes not sure?"_

"_I'm sure. Pretty sure." I acted like wind was blowing at my hair. "It's like the wind…I can't see it…But I feel it."_

_Griffin looked unsure about what I'd said and responded, "We can measure wind."_

_I raised my eyebrows at him. "Uncertainty makes you uncomfortable."_

_He gave me a interrogative look. "What do you actually __**know**__ with religion?"_

_I looked straight at him. "Wonder, beauty, joy…Love." I avoided his gaze when I said that last word, acting embarrassed._

_I continued on, "My mother told me God is love, so when you're feeling love, you're feeling God. I think talking about these things…threatens their very beauty and mystery." I act like a know-it-all, trying to mask my nerves at the sight of my love interest. I'd say we were doing all right so far._

_Griffin touched my hair, the most tender look on his face. _

_I practically whispered, "I don't understand."_

_He replied, "Maybe you're not supposed to." He inched closer to me and I (actually me) could've stopped breathing right at that second. He said, "I might kiss you."_

_I got shy and looked down at my shoes. "I might do it wrong."_

_Griffin softly said to me, "Not possible."_

_Even though I knew Griffin was going to kiss me in this exact way, I was stunned. He touched my neck, my cheek, and then my mouth. I felt electricity surge through me at his touch. He leaned in and kissed me. And that's when I felt the fireworks burst inside my head._

_And when he said the next words (that I also expected), I didn't expect to react the way I did._

"_I love you, Jamie," he said as he looked at me with the softest expression._

_My heart skipped a beat and I knew he was just acting. Ugh, it's just that Griffin had been acting so differently. Nicer. Cooler. A lot cuter. That's probably what it was. Acting. He'd been acting nice to me this entire time and come the time that these presentations are over, we'd be back to hating each other's guts. _

_As Jamie, I looked away from him, exhibiting mixed feelings. I was happy and sad. I hadn't said that I loved him back._

_As Landon, Griffin looked hurt but added gently, "Now's when you say something."_

_My character was overwhelmed. "I can't. I can't - explain."_

_I turned back to him and touched his face. We kissed again, deeper than before._

_After a few seconds, I dropped my chin onto Griffin's shoulder. I smiled and stared out at the audience as if staring out into the distance and there weren't people gaping at us. Griffin pulled away a bit to look at my face. He touched my cheek and knocked me out of my trance._

"_You make me feel…" I said._

"_Loved?" He asked, hopeful._

_I smiled. "That. And less strange."_

_Griffin and I act like I was crying so he wipes the invisible tears away from my face._

_Our scene had finally ended. I was glad and disappointed. Glad that we got the scene done just right. Disappointed that the illusion couldn't go on any longer._

He brought back the time that I almost…almost being the operative word…fell for him.

"Well, I'd say the same," I said, not letting him see what I was really feeling.

Chase wasn't as oblivious as I thought because he could tell I was sugar-coating my bitterness towards Griffin by now. I mean, the foundation on my face was about to crack from the smiling.

"Chase," Griffin began.

"Yes?" Chase perked up and stood up straight like a soldier. I raised an eyebrow at him.

Griffin scratched his black hair, his green eyes not revealing his intentions at the moment, which frustrated me to pieces. "Can you give me and Olivia a sec to catch up?"

I stiffened at the question. _Chase, I swear to God that if you leave me alone in this room with this moron I will…_

Chase nodded eagerly and said, "I had to call Stevie anyways." Stevie Walters is the director of the our movie. He waved goodbye and winked at me, irking me profoundly.

I sighed, admitting to defeat. I motioned for Griffin to take a seat on the couch. He accepted. "Want something to drink? Water? Orange-"

Griffin let his poker face drop and he sighed, in relief. "Let's cut to the chase, Ryan. You still hate me, don't you?"

I was standing in the middle of the living room at this point. "What give it away?"

"Please, your acting's not that special." Griffin grinned. "I've gotta say, you have improved, though…Compared to your first year at camp."

I plopped myself on the cushiony seat next to the couch. "Thanks." I grimaced.

The animosity and tension that I expressed for Griffin was extremely justifiable.

"_All right, class." Mr. Trace told us once all of the presentations were over by the end of the week. "All of your presentations were great. However, there was one act that stood out quite a bit."_

_Griffin and I had been flirting almost an entire week after we had finished our scene. It was surreal. I felt like I was on cloud nine. I was giddy. I almost forgot all of the teasing and hell he put me through._

"_Griffin and Olivia, your act appeared to be genuine!" Mr. Trace commended us. _

_The entire class giggled and whispered about us. But at that point it didn't matter. Griffin and I had been on good terms. Things seemed right with the world then and there._

_However, things like that never lasted that long until something just had to happen and screw everything up._

_At the end of class, the lesson that day having to do with stunts, Mr. Trace had an announcement to make._

"_Now you guys, we have been in class for about 6 weeks now. As you know this camp is not just any ordinary sleep away camp. This place opens doors for you guys. The cream of the crop. Though you still have a long way until you can be considered professional actors, you have improved so much and have increased your chances to make it big."_

_The class clapped and went nuts with Trace's speech. I wondered what was the point of this, though. _

"_I'm sure," he continued, "That you've heard from previous campers about the prestigious Lucas R. Watson Scholarship for the Arts. I have nominated one particular student to represent our camp in the Drama category."_

_The class went entirely silent. Huh, that sounded pretty cool. _

"_I am proud to announce that Olivia Ryan will be representing us!"_

"_WHAT?" Ashley screeched as the entire class had cheered me on. _

_I was frozen. In shock. No way. My only acting experience before camp had been with my Barbie dolls when I would act out my own soap operas with my Barbie dream house. It kept me entertained when I was bored at home. But this? Well, I couldn't believe it._

_I was the talk of the entire camp. People came up to me and started getting to know me better. They came to me because of the award nomination and they stayed because they liked me for who I was. I appreciated that._

_But one thing that stood out the most was Griffin's reaction. He grew stone cold after that, refusing to talk to me._

_So I figured he had been PMS-ing for some strange reason. I went up to him the day after to ask him what the hell was his deal. _

_This is what set the rivalry back ablaze. _

_I noticed that he was gripping onto his necklace. I never saw what had been on the chain. I had been curious but now that we weren't really speaking it didn't seem like the appropriate moment._

"_What's wrong?" I demanded._

_Griffin glared at me. "Who do you think you are?"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_You heard what I asked. So you get accepted to this prestigious camp. Yeah, you got lucky. But now you think you're some hot shot because you got nominated for a stupid award." He spat, staring me down._

_It didn't take me long to process what he had been saying. "Ha, I got lucky? Yeah, I would've gotten lucky if I got accepted here and given the royal treatment. Did it work out that way? No! I had to start from nothing to work my way up here and make friends because jerks like you kept putting me down because you thought you were so damn better than me."_

_I don't know where all that rage had come from. I thought I had let it all go when Griffin and I started getting closer. But now that that was never going to happen, I realized the rage had never gone away. It was just waiting for the right time to be unleashed._

_So after that heated argument (and I guarantee it got us nowhere), we stopped talking altogether. I worked harder and had fun with my friends. I wrote letters to send home. I told Derrick about all the crap that had gone down and that I was doing fine now. Honestly, it felt like Derrick was the only real family I ever had. _

So now I'm here. As hard as I tried to work on nabbing that scholarship to go to a prestigious arts school in the City, I had fallen short. I was all right with that. Being nominated had been overwhelming enough. To this day, I remember Griffin mocking me, saying it was a waste nominating me when there were other kids at the camp that would've scored the scholarship like a piece of cake.

I just didn't understand Griffin. He had gotten so jealous over something that wasn't even that big of a deal. It wasn't a matter of life or death. Who did he think he was?

"Hastings…" I began. "You made me hate you."

Griffin stiffened at that. I wasn't surprised that he got mad. "You know, I still think about those days…Every now and then, anyways…I've got to admit that I was a bit of a jerk…"

"A BIT?" I snapped. "You are insane!"

He smirked at me. "Struck a nerve, huh?"

"Admit it, you were jealous of me the entire time!" I laughed, taunting him. It felt good to do so. I wasn't the same girl I was back then. I wasn't going to let him push me around anymore. He didn't have power over me even though he was already a Hollywood icon.

He chuckled. "No way."

I shook my head. "You're pathetic, Hastings. You're a sore loser."

He frowned at that point. "Where do you get off thinking you can talk to me that way?"

"Where do you get off acting like you rule the world?"

"Because according to the two Teen Choice Awards I won, I might as well!"

I scoffed. "Please, your so-called fame won't even last a decade!"

Griffin sneered. "Yours won't even last a month. And that's if you're lucky enough to be recognized."

At this point, we had both been out of our seats for a while now, going at it with each other. Steam might as well have been coming out my ears. Griffin was the same cocky bastard he'd always been.

My face had gotten red. The temperature in the room had cranked up a few degrees from all of the arguing back and forth. "You're obviously threatened by me! You always have been! That's why you started picking on me that very first day. Before I came to Camp Lockwood, you were the center of attention! So when someone got a bit of the spotlight, you went ballistic. I don't understand why after that stupid scene we acted out you acted like some kind of knight in shining armor. I shine for one moment and you turn against me. I was hoping…Well, I don't know. You'd show some damn humility, get off your self-built pedestal, and be happy for me. You don't understand how much hell you put me through. I was almost convinced that I was fall-

I was on a roll and he just had to kiss me to make me shut up. It was just like camp all over again…


End file.
